Quality begins in the orchard and Auvil Fruit uses some of the most innovative horticulture practices in the world to ensure it. High quality, good taste and environmentally safe growing practices serve as our main theme for growing apples and cherries. The majority of fruit sold under the Gee Whiz label is grown and packed by Auvil Fruit Company. Only a select few other growers that practice our same philosophy are allowed to share the Gee Whiz label.

Auvil Fruit has three ranches located along the Columbia River in central Washington State. Our corporate head quarters are located in Orondo, Washington, 20 miles north of Wenatchee, Washington.

• Ranch #1 is a 250-acre orchard located in Orondo, Washington, where we grow Granny Smith, Fuji and Gala apples. This ranch also produces 35 acres of Rainier and Bing Cherries.
• Ranch #2 is the largest of the three and is located just below the Wanapum Dam on the west side of the Columbia River, south of Vantage, Washington. This orchard has 1000 acres of Granny Smith, Fuji, Gala and Cripps Pink apples.
• Ranch #3 is a 100-acre orchard also located in Orondo, Washington; it produces Granny Smith and Fuji apples.

Integrated Pest Management and NutriClean Certification

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an environmentally friendly technique developed to use natural and chemical integration for pest control. IPM has three main control components: cultural, biological and chemical. Predator insects are encouraged in the orchard to control harmful insects, along with using softer insecticides that do not interrupt the predators. Being successful at using IPM has allowed us to progress to the point of qualifying for the NutriClean Label. (nutriclean symbol) The NutriClean Certification program serves growers who produce fruits and vegetables that meet exceptionally "clean" standards. Scientific Certification Systems (SCS) certification standards of less than 0.05 parts per million of detectable pesticide residues is up to 1,000 times tougher than government requirements.

Irrigation Management

Auvil Fruit strives to manage and control the use of our water resources. Along with conserving our natural resource, controlling the use of water horticulturally improves the quality of fruit produced.

Trellis

The majority of Auvil's trees are planted on a trellis system. This permits us to plant more trees per acre while improving the fruit quality by being able to maintain the trees more efficiently. The trellis system is designed so that by training the trees to the trellis, we have better control of the sunlight into the trees, along with providing a more secure environment during windy times. This allows us to encourage earlier production and increase the tonnage produced per acre without sacrificing quality.

Nutrient Testing

We do nutrient testing with the soil, leaves and with the apple itself to make sure the trees are receiving the correct balance of nutrients to ensure the quality of our fruit. Along with that we now use a Global Positioning System (GPS) that has allowed us to have a better understanding of the ranch's different soil types, which enables us to be more precise in our nutrient applications to continue to increase our apple's quality.

Trials and Test Areas

To continue with Grady's progressive philosophy, we work with The Tree Research Commission and Washington State University to try different methods of growing apples. And we are always in the test mode with new varieties of apples. This allows us to see how each type of apple stands up to our quality requirements for color, flavor, appearance and storage. Normally a new variety is tested for at least 4 years before we plant it in production.