From berries to beans, Alpine Fresh delivers fresh produce from five continents year-round
Alpine Fresh is a grower, packer, and shipper of fresh fruits and vegetables, specializing in blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, asparagus, French beans, Brussels sprouts and fresh-cut mangoes. In addition to owning and operating its own farms and packing facilities, the company collaborates with the best growers around the world to fulfill its commitments to customers every day of the year. The company is dedicated to maintaining the highest quality standards in the industry while conducting its operations in a socially responsible way. Walter Yager, CEO of Alpine Fresh, discusses the company’s mission, services, and latest developments.
“In 1988, Alpine Fresh was founded with a simple yet ambitious goal, which is to bridge the gap between growers and retailers while delivering the freshest, highest-quality produce to consumers around the world. What started as a small import business has since grown into a fully vertically integrated operation spanning farming, packing, and global distribution. Our mission has always been to ‘grow excellence’ not only in our products but also in the relationships we build, the people we employ, and the innovations we pursue across the fresh produce supply chain,” he begins.
We explore the variety of products and services Alpine Fresh provides, as well as how the company approaches product development. “We grow, pack, and distribute a wide range of fruits and vegetables, and as we operate on five continents, it is essential for us to maintain close working relationships with our grower partners across the world to ensure a consistent year-round supply. Through our brands, which include Hippie Organics®, Sweet Karoline®, Best in Berries®, Mango Fries®, and Super Blues™, we are dedicated to delivering freshness, flavor, and innovation directly to retail shelves and consumers.
“For us, this innovation begins in the field. We collaborate diligently with breeders and growers globally to identify fruit and vegetable varieties that offer superior flavor, shelf life, and visual appeal, all while upholding sustainability. Our product development process is guided by consumer insights and long-term category planning. We trial thousands of new genetics across multiple regions to ensure consistent quality, then integrate them into our brand programs once they meet our rigorous performance standards,” Walter expands.
Consumer favorites
Lately, Alpine Fresh has launched several notable products and initiatives in line with its focus on innovation, which Walter is keen to explore. “Our Sweet Karoline® blackberry brand represents years of innovation in blackberry breeding. We introduced a premium varietal under this brand that we’re thrilled to bring to consumers. The proprietary variety, EXPB3181, was developed for exceptional sweetness, firmness, and shelf life – qualities that have helped make Sweet Karoline® a consumer favorite and a benchmark for what a truly premium blackberry should taste like.
Beyond blackberries, we continue to expand our value-added segment with convenience-driven snack items, including our new line of ready-to-eat blueberry cups. We’re also scaling our sustainable packaging initiatives across multiple categories and preparing to launch several new varietal introductions in both berries and asparagus. Each of these efforts underscores our ongoing commitment to innovation and to delivering the highest-quality fresh produce to our customers.” 
To support the diversification of its offerings, Alpine Fresh constantly reinvests back into its farms and packing operations. Walter sheds light on some of the company’s most recent investments. “Continuous reinvestment is at the heart of our business model. Recently, we have expanded our operations in Mexico, the US, Chile and Peru, focusing on planting the best varieties available in the world. Furthermore, we have made significant commitments to invest in Europe, Africa and China. These investments also include the latest in sustainability initiatives, such as compostable packaging for Hippie Organics asparagus and recyclable film solutions across many of our product lines. Not only do these investments enhance operational efficiency, but they also align with our environmental commitments and support our retailers’ sustainability goals,” he reveals.
Integrity, respect, and family
Walter goes on to discuss the values Alpine Fresh was founded upon, emphasizing how this culture informs the company’s broader mission and daily operations. “Our culture is rooted in integrity, respect, and family. Indeed, we view every member of the Alpine team, whether they work in the field, packing house, or office, as part of one extended family. In line with those values, we invest heavily in professional development, fair labor practices, and health and safety standards across all our operations. Many of our employees have been with us for decades, which speaks volumes about our commitment to long-term growth and opportunity. We want every team member to feel there is a path forward, and we value their input on how the company can improve.
“Our values shape the way we conduct our business every single day. From sustainable farming and ethical sourcing to community engagement, we strive to lead by example. Whether implementing Fair Trade programs, reducing our environmental footprint, or giving back to the communities where we operate, our decisions are always guided by the principle of doing what is right for our people, our partners, and our planet,” he concludes.