Ten Facilities.
One Standard.
We are not a broker with a phone list. We grade, store, pack and ship the fruit ourselves.
300M lbs
harvested & packed annually
250K lbs
packed & shipped every week
20 Miles
from Grand Rapids, Michigan
Supply Chain Quality
Most produce marketers stop at the sale. Quality is won or lost in the middle, which is exactly where we operate. Riveridge fruit moves through ten packing and storage facilities across Michigan, Wisconsin and Massachusetts, most of them owned by the same families who grow it.
That structure is the point. When the grower also owns the packing line, nobody passes a problem downstream.
Riveridge Packing
Riveridge Packing opened in 2009 after we acquired and expanded the former Alpine Apple Haus facility in Sparta, creating an integrated packing, storage and distribution operation. It packs apples from our own orchards as well as nearby growers.
The line runs automated bin handling, AI-powered optical sorting, gentle water flumes and automated bagging that cleans, grades, sizes and packages apples. Recent investments include Berg bin dumpers, Newtech bagging systems and LucAI built into the facility’s SPECTRUM grading system, which identifies defective fruit accurately enough to eliminate manual hand sorting.
Expansion continues with additional bagging lines, gentle cradle fillers and four lanes of HAWK automated tray filling.
Our Packing Partners
Nine independent facilities
Most of them grower-owned, all of them packing under the Riveridge label.
Rasch Bros. Apple Storage
Grand Rapids, Michigan / Since 1945 / Grower-Owned
Family values paired with AI-powered TOMRA sorting, refrigerated and controlled atmosphere storage, and energy-efficient operations.
Packs Apples, peaches
Jack Brown Produce
Sparta, Michigan / Founded 1927 / Grower-Owned Cooperative
Roughly 40 shareholder-growers supply dual packing lines capable of running multiple varieties at once, plus a new TOMRA sorting system.
Packs Apples
Dietrich Orchards
Conklin, Michigan / Since 2003 / Farmer-Owned
A 67,000 square foot facility with internal and external defect sorting, automated palletizing and a 150-kilowatt solar array. Expanding 60 percent.
Packs Apples
Fruit Ridge Apple Co.
Sparta, Michigan / Since 1997 / Family-Owned
A 42,000 square foot facility running a four-lane MAF grading system, controlled atmosphere storage and finished product coolers.
Packs Apples
Roossinck Fruit Storage
Fremont, Michigan / Since 1969 / Family-Owned
Three generations serving their own orchards and independent West Michigan growers. CA storage paired with advanced TOMRA sorting.
Packs Apples
Nyblad Orchards
Kent City, Michigan / Since 1972 / Family-Owned
Compaq grading and MAF internal sorting with controlled atmosphere storage. Solar power and cardboard recycling anchor the sustainability work.
Packs Apples, plums
Shafer Lake Fruit
Hartford, Michigan / Since 1960 / Family Farmer-Owned
Michigan’s southernmost packing facility. Modern packing technology, experienced quality control and carefully managed cold storage.
Packs Apples, asparagus, plums
Sunrise Orchards
Gays Mills, Wisconsin / Since 1913 / Family-Owned
A century of apple packing in the Driftless Area, now running Greefa grading and controlled atmosphere storage.
Packs Apples
J.P. Sullivan & Co.
Ayer, Massachusetts / Since 1925 / Family Farmer-Owned
Marketing, logistics, quality assurance and food safety support for family orchards across New England and New York.
Packs Apples
On the Line
What runs the fruit.
Optical Sorting
TOMRA, MAF, Greefa and Compaq grading across the network, with internal and external defect detection.
AI Grading
LucAI inside the SPECTRUM system at Riveridge Packing identifies defective fruit without manual hand sorting.
Controlled Atmosphere
CA storage at every facility holds quality from harvest through the end of the season.
Automation
Automated bin handling, water flumes, cradle fillers, tray filling, bagging and palletizing.
Cherries and cider, too.
Sweet cherry packing.
Michigan sweet cherries run a six-week window that opens around the Fourth of July. Every cherry is hand-picked with the stem intact, which seals in freshness and is the single biggest factor in how the fruit holds at retail.
Ten family-owned orchards contribute to the cherries packed under the Riveridge label, from southwest Michigan through the Ridge and up to the Leelanau Peninsula.
Availability varies from year to year.
Cider pressing.
We press up to 100,000 gallons a day across two facilities in Grant and Comstock Park. The 46,800 square foot northern facility runs two bladder presses originally built for winemaking, a gentle squeeze that pulls flavor from the flesh while limiting extraction from skins and stems.
An on-site lab monitors Brix and pH, evaluates varietal blends and runs food safety testing including patulin screening.
Every bottle traces back to the orchard.
A day’s drive from most of the country.
Sitting in West Michigan puts us close to a large share of the population. How far a product travels depends on how well it holds, so our reach differs by category.
Apple Cider
All 50 states.
Fresh Apples
East of the Mississippi.
Sweet Cherries
Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana. Perishability sets the limit.
Vegetables and Stone Fruit
West Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois.
Michigan apples, shipped worldwide.
Riveridge runs export-ready packs and established lanes for international customers. Our International Apple Program covers documentation, packaging standards and the varieties that travel best.
Packing questions, answered.
How many packing facilities does Riveridge use?
Ten. Riveridge Packing in Sparta plus nine partner facilities across Michigan, Wisconsin and Massachusetts. Most are owned by the families who grow the fruit.
Does Riveridge pack anything besides apples?
Yes. Sweet cherries, asparagus, plums, peaches and a full apple cider operation pressing up to 100,000 gallons a day.
How far does Riveridge ship?
Cider ships to all 50 states. Fresh apples ship east of the Mississippi. Sweet cherries stay within Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana. Vegetables and stone fruit stay in West Michigan, Indiana, Ohio and Illinois.
What sorting technology do the facilities use?
TOMRA, MAF, Greefa and Compaq optical grading with internal and external defect detection, plus LucAI inside the SPECTRUM system at Riveridge Packing.
Is Riveridge a broker?
No. We grow, grade, store, pack and ship. Ten facilities and more than 150 family farms sit behind the label, and the growers own most of the packing lines.
Run a packing operation and want to talk about joining the network? Send us a note.