about me

High J Orchards is my father's small family orchard located in the hills above Lake Chelan in Central Washington State. We have been farming apples and sweet dark cherries for over 25 years and have always made applesauce from our apples for our family and friends. The delicious sweet-tart flavor and thick, lumpy consistency of Grandma Judy’s recipe is hard to beat.

I started High J Orchards in 2005 after our orchards were hit by hail. While the apple crop was virtually destroyed cosmetically, the apples themselves were still perfectly ripe, juicy and delicious to eat. So as tradition goes, when you’re given lemons, make lemonade...so hence, I bottled my first batch of applesauce and started peddeling it to my local, independent retailers.

Having no experience in this industry I naturally used Grandma Judy's methods and recipes to make applesauce much different (and much better!) than the commoditized status quo of the marketplace. Made by hand in small batches, I am proud to say that I attained my goal to make an applesacue that truly tasted homemade. People are actually surprised when they taste High J Orchards Chunky Applesauce becasue they never knew how good applesauce could be. Or they tell me it tastes like their mom's or grandmother's applesauce - which is my ultimate compliment!

So I am thrilled to be able to be bring you this traditional, comfort food the way it supposed to be made and taste -- as good as grandma's. Challenging as it is, the retail food industry has enabled me to meet the most generous of customers and amazing people - I am truly grateful for all of my customers who have given me this opportunity to make my tiny stake in the marketplace.