Red Jacket Orchards Farm Update

January 31, 2017

One of the things that sets Red Jacket Orchards apart from most juice companies is that we are a living, breathing, vibrant farm. Approximately 75% of the fruit used in our cold-pressed juices is cultivated right here in Geneva, NY or close by. It’s a beautiful thing! This means a number of things - it means we have control over a lot of factors (ie. our growing practices, our decision to transition some of our acres to organic orchards in hopes to dramatically increase organic production over the next few years, to operate a LEED certified juice factory and utilize solar energy) but it also means we have no control over other things: for example, the weather and growing conditions. We love relying on nature to grow our fruits (as opposed to using crazy amounts of pesticides, etc. to increase production) but it can also create challenges. Our Co-owner, Mark Nicholson, sums up our current challenge: “The 2016 season was unprecedented in weather-related challenges we faced growing our summer fruit and apple crops. Low winter temperatures killed most of the apricot buds and damaged many other summer fruits. Spring frost then finished what low winter temperatures started in the peach and plum crops. Despite these challenges, we had abundant apple flowers pollinate and set a large crop. This, however, became a liability as the spring rains dried up and we faced one of the most severe droughts the region experienced in recent memory. Most of the apples were not able to size into edible fruit due to the lack of moisture. Despite these challenges we are eternally optimistic. While we are curtailing our winter market locations, we look forward to our return this summer with the 2017 crop and once again sharing the abundance of our harvest.” So, what does this mean? Due to the lack of sizable apples in our 2016 crop, we are unable to meet the demand for this year. You guys are loving our fruit! And for that, we are eternally grateful. Sadly, we must pull out from many winter markets until the summer. You can still find our juices at some of the markets and in many of our partner grocers. We thank you for your continued support and for understanding the reality that our farm can and has faced. We very much look forward to seeing you all again this summer at the markets. Until then, enjoy our cold-pressed juices from select markets, partnering grocers and online.

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