Manzana Products, Sonoma County’s last apple processing plant, moving to Washington state

Manzana Apple Products, Sonoma County’s last apple commercial processing plant, will move its entire operations to the Yakima Valley in Washington state by 2025.

The company cited dwindling local apple production and the high cost of transporting apples from Washington state to produce its apple cider, apple sauce and apple cider vinegar.

According to Manzana Products CEO Andy Kay, the company currently trucks the majority of its apples from Washington.

“We can no longer bear the costs to transport 80 percent of our apples,” Kay said, adding that one-fourth of what the company currently pays for apples is purely for transportation cost.

In addition, Kay noted the high cost of doing business in California is eating into the company’s bottom line.

“Business in California, especially in Sebastopol, is expensive,” Kay said. “The cost of inflation and labor availability is making it difficult to stay here.”

Kay also pointed to the company’s sustainability pledge. He said trucking apples 800 miles one way and an empty truck another way doesn’t help reduce the company’s carbon footprint, which it aims to cut by 35 percent by 2035.

While Kay knows the business decision is the right one for the longevity of the 101-year-old company, he recognizes the lasting impact it will have on the community.

“Manzana is part of Sonoma County’s rich agricultural history,” Kay said. “Many of our employees are descendants of or related to multiple generations of family members who worked at Manzana.”

Kay told the company’s 180 employees the news of the closure earlier this week. “We want to do this properly and be transparent about the changes,” he said. Those employees will have the opportunity to relocate to Washington, if they are interested.

He noted that employees were “clearly surprised and shocked” but also understood the need for the transition, given the aging state of the facility. Local growers who sell apples to Manzana were also informed and shared similar sentiments, Kay said.

“If Sonoma County or other agricultural regions of Northern California were expanding the planting of apple orchards today, continuing to operate a processing plant here might make sense,” said Steve Dutton, President of Dutton Ranch. He added, “Unfortunately, much of Sonoma County’s agricultural landscape changed in the 1980s when apples became a worldwide commodity. Apple farming quickly became unprofitable, so it is remarkable that Manzana stayed in Sonoma County as long as it has.”

Manzana will continue to buy apples from Sonoma County apple producers until 2029, Kay said, adding that it is important to give local growers, which comprise just 10 percent of Manzana’s apples time to find new outlets for their crops.

Kay said the company will be “business as usual” for the next 12 months. Come 2025, it will begin to transition its operations to Sunnyside, Wash.

The move to Washington is expected to create 150 agricultural jobs in the next two years as operations are phased in during the move. The company said it may expand to add more shifts/team members as needed to meet sales demands.