E.W. Brandt grows a number of treefruits with a focus on food traceability and quality standards.

Agricultural success has long been in the Brandt family’s blood. The family built the company from a small private farm in 1907 to an international enterprise operating 1,250 acres of land. Now in its fourth generation of ownership, E.W. Brandt is best known for its growing, packaging, distribution and marketing services for apples, pears, peaches, nectarines, plums, prunes, apricots and cherries.

“We’re also recognized for the specialization of our products and unique packaging concepts,” says President Lynnell Brandt. “We’re always developing innovative packaging and marketing strategies for our products.”

E.W. Brandt is a vertically integrated enterprise, and its associated companies stress a separate aspect of the business. Each unit can focus on what it does best, which may include marketing, new product development or traditional nursery operations.

For example, the associated E.W. Brandt companies are able to identify new products in-house, use the nursery operation to test and evaluate the outcome and develop packaging strategies internally. “Most other companies would have to rely on independent parties to perform this work,” Brandt says. “We can capture all the possibilities and do all the work ourselves.”

The Pink Ladies
E.W. Brandt also operates as a licensee of Pink Lady America brand apples, a new product developed in Western Australia. The variety is packaged, marketed and shipped under strict quality guidelines. According to the company, this fruit is a cross between Golden Delicious and Lady Williams apples. The majority of Pink Lady America apples are marketed by companies located near E.W. Brandt in Yakima, Wash., the company notes.

To fully understand the market as a whole, E.W. Brandt is closely linked to a number of associations. In its nursery operation, the company works with the Associated International Group of Nurseries (AIGN). Together with its members, the association develops new product selections and works on global marketing campaigns, as well.
 
In recent years, however, the industry has become increasingly concerned about intellectual property management. “This may be a relatively new concept coming into the treefruits industry, but it’s becoming standard practice to apply for patents,” Brandt says. “New varieties are starting to become protected by patents/trademarks and coordinated internationally, which requires more expertise.”

According to Brandt, the company has developed the necessary expertise over the years to meet this challenge. “We have a number of people here who are involved with different associations around the world who have become experts in certain areas of the business,” Brandt says.

Food Safety and Traceability
To guarantee consistent, high-quality products, the company has developed its own food safety and traceability systems. “We’ve become a true leader in safe food systems,” Brandt says, noting that its programs are audited by a third party. The company also maintains a number of North American and European certifications, following the Food Marketing Institute’s Safe Quality Food (SQF) and Eurogap guidelines.

In addition, E.W. Brandt’s traceability system can track the time, date and destination of any shipment. It can even identify the employee who packaged the box, allowing the company to announce a total recall within minutes, if necessary. “This system can rival just about any company out there,” Brandt says, adding that the company has never in its history been forced to recall its products.

Industry Trends
Companies in Brandt’s industry are becoming more specialized in their products, while maintaining a greater focus on traceability and food safety issues. According to Brandt, many companies are focused on growing products with limited acreage distribution, to cut costs and meet market demand.

“Because it’s so expensive to plant, introduce and bring to market new products, companies are now trying to manage the amount of acreage used for each product to coincide with market demand,” Brandt says, adding that this requires an ongoing measurement of demand created for each product. “The hope is to help give a better chance of an appropriate return for the investment.”

E.W. Brandt also enjoys a skilled employee base, and many workers have been with the company for decades. “We’re quite proud of our employees, and happy that most of them have been here for a [long time],” he says. “In the future, we plan to involve them more in the decision-making process and work together to make this company a better place to work while driving our income forward.”