Larson Fruit Company

Larson Fruit Company of Selah, Washington

In 1955, Henry Larson formed a partnership with his two sons, Ross and Vern, to create Larson Fruit Company. Three generations later, Larson family members are still active in the day to day operations of the company.

Orchard Boy box label with red band, for Larson Fruit Company, Selah Washington

Orchard Boy was the image depicted on Larson Fruit Company apple crate labels in the 1950's. Two designs of Orchard Boy were used, one with a diagonal red band, one with a plain blue background.

Larson Fruit Company Logo

The current Larson Fruit Company logo.

Fruit crate label for Larson Fruit Company pears.

Henry and Mildred Larson chose a picture of a red haired, freckled faced boy of Swedish descent for their fruit crate label design. Henry was a redhead; a definite Larson family trait. In 1950, as a teenaged boy, Vern Larson had the job of pasting labels onto crates. The upper left label shown here depicts Orchard Boy with a diagonal red sash in the background. A variation of Orchard Boy without the sash was also used. The labels were printed by a Yakima area lithographer. Before the use of pre-printed cardboard boxes, Larson Fruit Company also sold fruit under an Autumn Fresh Pear box label design.

	Larson Fruit Company in Selah, Washington provides storage and packing for FruitFromWashington.com apples and pears. Larson family members have been involved in fruit packing since Henry Larson and his wife, Mildred, started hand packing apples in wooden boxes for their neighbors during the 1930's.
Henry and Mildred Larson		Ross Larson and Vern Larson

Henry Larson working in the orchard

Henry Larson

According to Larson Family history, in the 1930's lugs of apples were loaded onto wagons and pulled by horses from the orchards to the barn. Apples were washed and then wrapped in tissue paper and packed in handmade wooden boxes. From its inception, Larson Fruit Company was a family business. While Henry supervised the packing operation, his wife, Mildred, kept the books.

Larson harvest with team and wagon

Packing was done right at the Larson family ranch and boxes of fruit were hauled on wagons pulled by teams of horses.

Henry Larson's reputation as an honest businessman grew and more growers brought their apples to his makeshift packing house. The business outgrew the ranch and the company moved into the defunct Sampson-Bean plant in downtown Selah. As the business grew so did the Larson family. Some of Henry's grandchildren joined the company in the 1980's, continuing the family tradition of honest and reliable service.

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Page Update October 7, 2007