HAVE A PEACHY DAY!
The name “Wawona” has been synonymous with frozen fruits, especially peaches, for six decades now and is a fixture in the vast Central Valley agriculture scene. This year, Wawona Frozen Foods is celebrating 60 years of some of the best fruit products on the market. Wawona’s reach far exceeds its Californian footprint. “Lucky for our customers, there are no seasonal offerings for Wawona Frozen Foods because you can get our fresh frozen products all year-round!” exclaims Blair Smittcamp-Martin, Marketing & Special Projects Manager for Wawona Frozen Foods, of the brand’s nation-wide reach and offerings. “We pride ourselves on hitting the pause button on Mother Nature and locking in all of the nutrients and flavor our frozen fruits contain, to enjoy them all year round!”
“The Wawona Way” philosophy can be summed up in four categories: family, fruit, process, and products. Family-owned and -operated since 1963, Wawona has an unwavering commitment to quality and responsiveness. “We’re the oldest and largest frozen fruit processor of peaches in the US. And our family and company philosophy is ‘continuous improvement’ with an extensive emphasis on safe working conditions for our employees along with food safety,” Blair imparts. “Our fruit is sourced and grown from 65 of our long-time growers and partners.” Quality control starts in the orchards and fields year-round, and all their fruit is sustainably grown and harvested by hand. State-of-the-art facilities—of which there are three—and methods process and package Wawona products, which are distributed nationally in food service, industrial, retail, and school segment divisions.
When the business started in 1963, there were only 15 frozen peach processors nationwide. Since then, Wawona has not only survived but also flourished, rising to the top of the industry. “We owe it to our exceptional employees and management staff that were able to adjust to the needs that the pandemic brought upon us,” Blair gratefully acknowledges. “Like so many other companies during COVID, we have had to make some hard discussions. We had to make changes within the company, but throughout these changes, we have kept our company’s culture the same. We have been able to adapt and pivot accordingly to still be able to produce the high-quality products that Wawona is reputed for across the nation.” Today, Wawona Frozen Foods has roughly 300 full-time employees throughout its three processing facilities, which include the flagship processing plant in Clovis, the Fresno facility (called the Cedar facility), and the Watsonville facility.
Sustainability and the latest technology contributes to Wawona’s success. “With the latest technology trends and economic sustainability at the forefront of our company’s mind,” says Blair, “we continue to change and grow in becoming more sustainable and more innovative with our products.” Their sustainability in action manifests in the use of owls and owl boxes to keep potentially damage-inducing rodents at bay in Wawona’s orchards. They even pave Wawona’s roads with pits. “Our effective and sustainable use of the millions of peach pits we remove from each fruit season provides dust control throughout our orchards and delivers nutrients back into the soil as they degrade.”
The frozen fruit products of the brand include peaches, strawberries, pears, plums, pineapples, mangos, papaya, blueberries, dragon fruit, raspberries, mixed fruits, and organic fruits. Innovative items such as “Fraddies” are the result of Wawona’s desire for innovation—made with 100% real fruit with fruit particulates, the convenience of this product lies in there being zero-prep. The Wawona Bakery crafts delicious custom creations using their fresh frozen fruit. Cobblers and Fruit-A-Roo’s (turnovers) are traditional favorites. The “Jewels” and “Gems” are similar yet easy to distinguish. “The peach jewels (also in a seasonal pecan flavor) are what we call ‘Fully Loaded’ with all of the goodness of any baked items! And our Peach Gems (mixed berry flavor) are gluten-free! Which is why we decided to name them Gems—the “G” in Gems is for gluten-free,” explains Blair.
Anyone can access Wawona Frozen Foods products in select Costcos, Food Max, and Food 4 Less retailers, Save Mart supermarkets, The Market in Fresno, and The Meat Market in Clovis, as well as Wawona’s fruit stand, The Peach Tree, located on the corner of Minnewawa and Nees.
“The stand,” Blair says referring to The Peach Tree, “was set up by Muriel Smittcamp, the wife of Wawona Frozen Foods’ founder Earl Smittcamp, in 1952 as a casual effort to seasonally (May to September) sell the extra fresh peaches not needed in production. Muriel quickly outgrew the capacity of the small roadside table, and a larger wooden shed was built. It was there, 40 years ago, that Linda Smittcamp, wife of current President & CEO Bill Smittcamp (Earl’s son), began working at the fruit stand.” Yet the positive impact of The Peach Tree Fruit Stand extends far beyond the Smittcamp family—it’s been an integral part of the Clovis community over the years and has played an important role in establishing Wawona Frozen Foods as a key member of the community.
Wawona and the Smittcamps enthusiastically support local organizations close to their hearts, which are important to and beneficial for the community. “The Old Town Clovis Peach Party is a great example of giving back and literally sharing the ‘fruits of our labor’ with our community,” shares Blair of this special event. “It is an exciting family event that we participate in and support every year! We love getting to share our products with our community, which has been so supportive of our business for so long. It makes us proud to share our peaches with families that have been coming year after year to the Peach Party and even with those for whom it might be their first time.”
The company today still remains all in the family. Bill’s three children—who are Wawona’s third generation—each work in critical positions: Blake Smittcamp, Executive Vice President; Bradley Smittcamp, Regional School Sales; and Blair Smittcamp-Martin, Marketing & Special Projects Manager. Additionally, Bill’s wife Linda, the family’s manager, works with Blake to run The Peach Tree Fruit Stand in their hometown of Clovis. Of the fourth generation, Aubrey Rose Smittcamp and Austin Smittcamp are both Peach Tree Fruit Stand employees.
During this landmark 60th anniversary year, the Smittcamps are celebrating with special events to thank their staff and growers, as well as the community itself. The 60th Anniversary Gala was held in May. An Employee Appreciation happened in October after peach season. As stated in a memo the brand put out earlier this year, “Wawona Frozen Foods and the Smittcamp family are excited to commemorate the past 60 years of innovation, food safety, and unwavering commitment to quality and customer service. And they are looking forward to what the next 60 years will bring!”
Editorial Director Lauren Barisic
Photographers Mariano Friginal, Tomas Ovalle, Kelly Peterson & the Smittcamp family archives
