Custom Fruit Processors Make Jam For Others

Custom Fruit Processors Make Jam For Others 27-5-6 Chuck and Monica Cox make a living on leftovers. Their company, Wilhelm Foods, custom processes excess berries and fruits (and occasionally tomatoes) produced by growers around Newberg, Oregon into jellies, jams, preserves, juices and syrups that the growers can then sell at roadside stands and farmers markets along with their fresh produce. It all started about 20 years ago when, Chuck says, they were barely getting by on his earnings from managing a pick-your-own berry operation on Wilhelm Farms, near Tualatin, Washington. "We grew more berries than customers could pick, and they were going to waste," Cox says. Chuck and Monica decided those excess berries could be the key to finding the extra income they needed. With farm owners Gene and Jackie Wilhelm, they purchased equipment to process small batches of berries into jams and jellies and then set up a commercial kitchen in what had once served as a lambing shed. The organized this operation into a new company named Wilhelm Foods. Their first successful product was strawberry jam. They proceeded on to blueberry and blackberry products. Cox recalls that getting to those first jars of jam required a bit of trial and error. He says Wilhelm Farm pigs lived well on their mistakes for awhile. Despite early setbacks, the Coxes eventually learned to make very good products that nearly walked off the shelves at the Wilhelm Farms produce stand. Eventually, they began processing for other growers, too. In 1988, the Wilhelms sold their interest in the processing business to the Coxes, who moved the operation off the farm and into Newberg. Today, nearly all of their products are labeled with a grower's or retailer's private label. The company's nearly 100 customers can provide their own produce, or select from top quality fruits and berries the Coxes buy from area growers. Customers also have the option of providing their own recipe or going with one from Wilhelm Foods. Cox says larger canneries can process for less per container, but they're not able to process small quantities needed by individual growers and specialty stands. "We're prepared to process anywhere from 100 lbs. of fruit and up," he says. "We can do smaller quantities, but it takes 100 to 120 lbs. to get consistent quality." He says 120 lbs. of produce will make about 14 cases of 12-oz. jars of jam or jelly. He says they can turn orders around in as little as two days. The complexity of the recipe and the type of jar used determine costs. They range from $16 to $25 per case. Wilhelm Foods will also custom design and print labels, but Cox notes that many customers are now using computers and laser printers to create their own labels. "Our niche is jams and jellies made from fruits and berries," he says. "We can't compete with vegetable processors. Nobody wants to buy a $5 jar of corn, but people do spend that much on jars of jelly or jam, especially if they intend to use it as a gift." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Chuck and Monica Cox, Wilhelm Foods, 116 S. Elliott Rd., Newberg, Ore. 97132 (ph 503 538-2929; email: wilfood @prodigy.net).

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