16 | Sourced | august — october 2021
PROUD PARTNER Riveridge Produce Marketing, Inc. is a vertically integrated apple grower/packer/shipper/marketer headquartered in Sparta, Michigan. They represent one-half of Michigan’s fresh apple crop! And we are very proud to be their partner!
FAMILY AND HERITAGE In 1990, Don Armock, Roger Geers, and the late Dan Rock, Sr. began Riveridge Produce in a three-room rented office in Grant, Michigan. They shared a vision for growing and marketing quality fruit and sought after varieties while providing personalized service experiences for their customers. Riveridge is a family business in many ways. Armock family members head up sales and supply chain while other areas of the business are comprised of spouses, siblings, and multi-generational long-term employees. Over the years, Riveridge Produce has developed partnerships with the best apple growers in Michigan and Wisconsin, along with seven state-of-the-art packing facilities.
MICHIGAN APPLES Michigan is the second-most agriculturally diverse state in the U.S. The soil is fertile, it provides for natural irrigation, warm days for growing, and cool nights for sweetening up the fruit. The season kicks off
FUN APPLE FACTS: Michigan has about 15 million apple trees
in the ground and more than 35,000 acres of apple orchards, nearly 800 of which are family-run (some in their sixth and seventh generations).
After harvest, apples are often stored for up to a year in large “refrigerators”. Oxygen is pulled from the room to put the apples to “sleep” but once the room is opened again, the fruit wakes back up and tastes the same as when they were harvested.
with Paula Red, a phenomenal baking apple and Ginger Gold, sweet and juicy out-of-hand eating. The harvest for this upcoming season is anticipated to kick off around August 29.
To order Riveridge apples or ciders, contact the AMC Fruit Department at 773.321.7550 or at fruit@amarano.com
