Illustrated map of Washington State with mountains, rivers, orchards and Native lands — Made With Washington State Grown Apples

About

Alpine Lakes Pastila, SPC

We are a Washington-based, R&D-stage food startup developing apple-based snacks and desserts. Our aim is to build a regionally distinctive category of apple products that consumers will come to recognize as coming from Washington.

Washington produces roughly two-thirds of the nation's apples, with the share varying by harvest year. About 15% of the state's fresh-market crop is organic, and Washington supplies more than 90% of all organic apples grown in the U.S. (Data: USDA NASS, WSTFA, NHC.)

As a Washington Social Purpose Corporation, we aim to create consistent demand for Washington-grown apples, including organic fruit. We purchase processing-grade apples rather than retail-grade fruit, which gives growers a reliable, year-round market for fruit that is harder to place in fresh channels. Steady demand gives orchards a stronger incentive to invest in organic practices, and orchards that use fewer chemicals benefit communities across the state and the country.

Our specific social purposes are:

To sustain Washington's orchards and agricultural community by creating and manufacturing regionally distinctive food products made from locally grown apples; and
To prioritize natural and healthy ingredients in the corporation's food products for the benefit of customers.

The mission of this social purpose corporation is not necessarily compatible with and may be contrary to maximizing profits and earnings for shareholders, or maximizing shareholder value in any sale, merger, acquisition, or other similar actions of the corporation.

Founder

Why Washington, Why Pastila

Washington's natural beauty is unlike anywhere else, and that's the main reason I chose this state. The drive along US-2 over the Cascades is stunning, and the trails of the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, with its hundreds of mountain lakes, are just as breathtaking. Just beyond the Alpine Lakes, the landscape opens into orchard country. I was surprised to learn just how many apples this state grows, and that's why I believe Washington deserves a product of its own, made with modern technology and the state's unique local apples.

With my Russian roots, the first idea that came to mind was a Calvados-style apple distillate. But I quickly remembered that I now have a wife and a child, so I went with something tied to my childhood instead: the smell of apples in my grandmother's orchards and pastila. Something I'd be proud to make for my loved ones. After all, the simplest test for any product you develop is this: would you give it to the people you love most? That's why I started Alpine Lakes Pastila.