Grower Feature: LaPierre Farms
In early June, 2025, a few lucky Buyers had the opportunity to visit La Pierre Farms & Winery in the Yakima Valley of south-central Washington. Here they share their reflections on the family’s growing practices and the care it takes to produce consistently exceptional fruit.
CPW Buyers get a tour or the orchard from Mark LaPierre.
Blushing Rainier cherries weighed, sorted, and ready to pack.
LaPierre’s unparalleled blueberries ripen in the sunshine.
LaPierre Farms & Winery in Zillah, Washington is a really special place. Perched high up in a beautiful valley, the view is breathtaking. Lucky us, we got a full tour of the farm from the family that grows the most gorgeous organic fruit in the area.
Mark and Marnie LaPierre, with their adult children Lauren and Garrett, have been growing fruit since the 1980s and have been certified organic since 2010. Our tour of the orchards included plenty of fresh cherries popping into our mouths while we learned about irrigation, water allocation, sun protection, and more.
Ripe, blushing Rainier cherries are ready to harvest.
The cherry harvest had just begun in early June, and will be an intensive few weeks of picking, washing, packing, and shipping. We learned from Mark that while larger, conventional farms go through and pick all their cherries in one pass, LaPierre is patient. When cherries are picked all at once, the ripeness and sweetness are less consistent. LaPierre will take 2-3 passes over many days, ensuring that only ripe, perfect cherries are harvested, and others are left to get to full maturity. This slow, patient process requires more labor and more time, but it’s worth it for the resulting freshness.
When the weather is hot and dry, large sheets of white fabric are installed over the trees to filter some of the harshest sunlight. This keeps the ripening steady and sure. Conversely, sheets of white fabric are sometimes stretched across the ground in the orchards, providing sun reflection to make sure all the bunches of cherries hiding under the leaves and branches get that extra sunlight to become the most colorful, sweet version of themselves.
Blueberries are also grown at LaPierre, and we were excited to learn that the two-pound packs will be shipping to CPW soon. These will be on co-op shelves around our region, and we are excited for all the customers who will enjoy eating them fresh or baking their favorite muffin and pie recipes with these beautiful blueberries. Just like the cherry process, Mark and Garrett told us it all comes down to patience and timing. Respecting the land, the water, and the sun and knowing each element contributes to the best fruit means waiting and sometimes waiting a little bit longer. Judging by the numerous fat, juicy blueberries we tasted, you won’t be waiting much longer.
We ended our day with a picnic on the deck of the LaPierre Winery. Daughter Lauren has taken this project on as a labor of love, and she uses her skills and experience in marketing and business development to add yet another wonderful feature to the family farm. Biodynamic and organic grapes grown on the farm are made into really special red, white, and rose wines to be enjoyed at the winery, or taken home. We definitely brought a few bottles back to Minnesota to remind us of our trip, this farm, and the family that works so hard to care for people and the planet.