Borton & Sons in Washington: History, What It Raises, How It Makes Money and How to Contact It
Profile updated November 2026
Borton & Sons is a Yakima, Washington family fruit company that began in 1912 when Byron Sarver Borton bought a 20-acre farm in the Yakima Valley. Produce News described a company of about 5,500 acres that grows, stores, packs and sells more than 6 million boxes of fruit a year, and trade press later reported that Borton Fruit would merge into Chelan Fresh.
| Location | Yakima Valley, Washington |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1912 |
| Sectors | Apples, cherries, pears; packing and sales; real estate |
| Scale | About 5,500 acres and more than 6 million boxes a year, as published by Produce News |
| Why it is elite | Century-old family grower-packer; helped develop the first electronic sizer and color sorter for apples |
| Ownership | Borton family, four generations; Fruitnet reports a merger of Borton Fruit into Chelan Fresh |
| Official website | Produce News profile of Borton & Sons |
History of Borton & Sons
Byron Sarver Borton moved to the Yakima Valley in 1912, taught at the Marks School and bought a 20-acre farm. His sons Richard, Byron E. and Don formed the second generation, and Bill and John took over in 1972. A fourth generation of family members later joined the business.
A fire destroyed the packinghouse in the late 1940s, and another in 1979 led the company to work with Food Machinery Corp. on the apple industry's first electronic sizer and color sorter. The company also diversified into real estate and golf, including the Apple Tree Golf Course & Resort.
What Borton & Sons Grows and Raises
The company grows apples, cherries and pears. Its apple list includes Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Cameo and Honeycrisp, which it helped bring to market early. A large block east of Pasco known as Flat Top Ranch covers more than 2,800 acres.
Borton packs, stores and sells its own fruit. Fruitnet reported that Borton Fruit grows organic fruit, early-season cherries and proprietary apple varieties, and that the combined Chelan Fresh group had invested over US$235 million in packing facilities, technology and storage. The merger article does not give a year, so confirm the current corporate structure.
How Borton & Sons Makes Money
Fresh fruit sales
Apples, cherries and pears are packed and sold fresh, with varieties selected for retail demand.
Packing technology and service
Investing in sizing and sorting technology improved pack-out quality and made the packinghouse a competitive asset.
Real estate and golf
The family also owns apartments in the Yakima Valley and a golf resort. This non-fruit income spreads risk when markets or weather hurt a crop.
Farm Insight: What Other Operators Can Learn from Borton & Sons
First, packinghouse technology matters as much as orchards. The electronic sorter story shows a grower investing in the step that determines fruit grade.
Second, early adoption of a variety such as Honeycrisp can give a grower an edge. Third, consolidation, as in the Chelan Fresh merger, may be how a family brand stays competitive in a global fruit market.
In farm satire, packinghouse fires are never funny, but the sheer determination to rebuild and invent the apple sorter is the sort of resilience we respect. At farm.FM we file Yakima Valley orchards under farm humor because every grower has told the story of the frost that nearly won. Our ranch humor writers admit there are no cattle on the Borton ledger, but the farm jokes about an apple-shaped golf green are too good to leave out.
farm.FM got there first as the nation's first satirical farm site, and it backs the writing with Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Here is one contributor's collection of farm satire to start with.
How to Contact Borton & Sons
Website: https://theproducenews.com/node/8678
No official website, address or phone was found in public sources, so none is listed. Because the company has been reported as merging into Chelan Fresh, confirm contact details through the Washington State Department of Agriculture or the Chelan Fresh group.
Borton & Sons Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- Produce News profile - 100-year history of Borton & Sons
- Fruitnet merger report - Chelan Fresh and Borton Fruit combination
- WSU Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center - Land-grant research for Washington tree fruit
- WSDA agriculture snapshot - Washington apple and cherry values
- NASS Washington Census release - 2022 Census of Agriculture results for Washington
Borton & Sons FAQ
Where is Borton & Sons?
It is a Yakima Valley company in Washington state.
What does Borton & Sons grow?
It grows apples, cherries and pears and packs and sells them.
How big is Borton & Sons?
Produce News reported about 5,500 acres and over 6 million boxes a year.
How can I contact Borton & Sons?
No public contact was found. The company has been reported as merging with Chelan Fresh, so check there.
Borton & Sons shows how a Yakima family built a century-long fruit business around packing, technology and diversification. Read the Washington farms guide and the other profiles for more.