125-year-old Yakima orchard company lays off more than 500 workers

Gilbert Orchards, a family-owned and operated agricultural company based in the Yakima Valley, is laying off 518 employees beginning Nov. 22.

“Due to the seasonal nature of our operations, Gilbert Orchards, Inc. will be ending employment for most positions as the harvest season concludes,” the company stated, according to its Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filing.

The jobs affected are almost exclusively general field labor roles.

While the number of layoffs is significant, this is routine due to the cyclical, seasonal work the agricultural industry goes through.

Gilbert Orchards has been in business for more than 125 years

Gilbert Orchards has been in business since 1897, growing and distributing apples, pears, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and other tree and stone fruits. The fruit is then sold through Washington Fruit Growers. In 2009, the company partnered with Andrew Sundquist of Sundquist Fruit to “dramatically” increase its offerings of apples and pears.

Fifth-generation farmer Sean Gilbert is the current president of Gilbert Orchards.

“Like the generations before, Sean and Andrew like to be in the dirt and among the trees, working closely with the many hands who come from all over the world to grow delicious apples in a sustainable way,” the company stated on its website.

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