Red Jacket Orchards makes cold-pressed juice using real fruit.
Our mission is to inspire healthier habits by crafting drinks that are both seriously good and good for you. Every bottle we press is packed with flavor and function.
Each bottle has four or fewer ingredients, with no added sugars, no preservatives, and no artificial flavors—just the pure, wholesome nutrition nature intended. Made from whole, cold-pressed fruits, preserving essential nutrients like potassium and fiber. These nutrients play a key role in supporting immune health, energy production, and overall well-being.
As seen on:
Simple, Healthy, and Potent
Naturally Functional
Packed with all the health benefits of fresh fruit; vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, antioxidants, polyphenols, and fiber; plus, natural sugar for steady energy!
Short, Clean Ingredient List
100% juice, never from concentrate, and made with four simple ingredients or less.
Cold-Pressed, Unfiltered
Made from whole, cold-pressed fruits, preserving essential nutrients like potassium and fiber.
Made for Everyone
Certified kosher, gluten-free, gmo-free, and vegan, perfect choice for colleges, schools, healthcare and office facilities, and anyone on-the-go.
Red Jacket Orchard’s History
Along the rolling hills of Seneca Lake in New York’s Finger Lakes region, three generations of the Nicholson family have grown apples and summer fruits, turning them into freshly pressed juices and ciders.
2008- Present
Current Generation
Red Jacket Orchards expanded to 600 acres, roughly half devoted to apples, and introduced a broad array of summer fruits, many developed or tested locally with Cornell. Brian and Mark returned full-time, learning from their father while building their own expertise. The business included farm markets (Geneva and NYC), wholesale growing, packing, distribution, and juice processing.
As markets and growing conditions changed, Red Jacket built a LEED and food safety-certified juice processing facility (2010) and focused on beverage lines emphasizing freshness, quality, and flavor. Extreme weather, labor shortages, and consolidated retail buying led to downsizing operations and refocusing on apple production and pressing all-natural, 100% fruit juices.
Joe Jr. concentrated on farming 300 acres of high-density orchards, cultivating popular varieties in an on-farm nursery. Mark pursued policy advocacy to increase access to healthy foods, while Brian guided the company through restructuring and a period of sustained growth.
Though our business has grown geographically, our core values remain, as does our family's abiding commitment to our land and to the Finger Lakes communities that helped build Red Jacket Orchards.
1972 - 1995
Next Generation
Following service in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and a brief career on Wall Street, Joe Jr. and his wife Marylin, an elementary school teacher, returned home to Geneva with their young family — J.J., Mark, and Brian (Amy arrived a few years later). Those early years were spent settling into the family business and finding a home for their children.
Like his father, Joe Jr. did not have formal training in fruit growing (he did hold an MBA) and spent his early years learning the craft with guidance from Cornell researchers in Geneva. He expanded the orchards from 100 to 400 acres, adopting modern orchard systems, production techniques, and apple varieties such as Empire, Crispin, and Cortland. Red Jacket Orchards evolved into a year-round retailer and wholesale fruit packer.
The third generation began actively contributing, helping grow Red Jacket’s presence at New York City farmers markets. J.J., Brian, Mark, and Amy played key roles in bringing Red Jacket Orchards’ fruit and juices to top chefs and urban consumers.
Joe Jr. challenged his children to sell to nearby stores, leading to the Direct Store Door (DSD) program, which eventually reached over 50 accounts with multiple weekly deliveries. Many top-selling juices, including Fuji apple juice and Spiced apple cider, were launched through these markets.
1958 - 1972
The Early Years
Joe and Emily Nicholson began the family’s food and farming heritage in Bethpage, New York. Nicholson’s Poultry Farm, with its prepared foods, reflected the family’s innovative and entrepreneurial spirit — a hallmark of every venture that followed.
Joe and Emily, along with their children Grace, Joe Jr., Mary Claire, and Jean (John wasn’t yet born), relocated to Geneva and purchased a fruit farm from the Brownlee family. Red Jacket Orchards, formed in 1918, included apples, tart cherry trees, and nursery stock.
With no previous experience in fruit growing, the family, with help from their children, built a successful fruit farm and roadside retail stand, laying the foundation for Red Jacket’s enduring legacy.
Living Our Values Every Day
From orchard to cooler, every bottle reflects our commitment to quality, care, and community.
We live our values in how we farm, bottle, partner, and give back...