SugarBee® harvest has arrived earlier this year than expected. An early cold snap pushed the fall harvest up by about a week and a half, which means that the apples are arriving in stores sooner than ever.
To celebrate the harvest, growers created an event to mark the occasion and provide an opportunity for people to learn more about the way that the apples are grown, cared for, harvested, packed and shipped. The SugarBee Perfect Pick event had guests from around the U.S. traveling to Central Washington to experience the apple harvest.
Left to right: Cass Gebbers, Chuck Nystrom and Reggie Collins.
Perfect fall weather and row upon row of apple trees laden with SugarBee apples greeted guests as they arrived in the orchards early Wednesday morning. Everyone got to pick a few apples to snack on as 5th generation grower and orchard owner Hawkins Gebbers led the group on a tour, joined by Chuck Nystrom (SugarBee breeder), Reggie Collins (SugarBee propagator) and Cass Gebbers (4th generation grower). Lunch was enjoyed afterward at the nearby Gamble Sands golf course, followed by an afternoon facility tour at a packing and storage location and then a harvest dinner and wine tasting at Sorrento’s in Chelan, located on the famous Tsillan Cellars vineyard grounds.
The SugarBee Perfect Pick event had guests from around the U.S. travel to Central Washington to experience the apple harvest.
Guests included honeybee rescue couple Mr. and Mrs. Bee Rescue (Jeff and Julie Russell); Gina Calhoun, Scripps Spelling Bee National Teacher of the Year 2023; Lasheeda Perry, pastry chef and owner of Queen of Flavor; and Tracy Shaw from The Healthy Family Project, as well as influencers Annessa Chumbley, Shakira Patterson, Kait Thornton and Ashley Rowe.
The apples will be in stores soon--visit the Fruit Locator to find stores that SugarBee apples have been shipped to recently, or order some directly from partner store, Goldbelly.
For more information:
Julie DeJarnatt
SugarBee Apple
[email protected]
www.sugarbeeapple.com