Hess Bros. Fruit

Hess Bros. Fruit Company is a family owned and operated business located in the heart of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. The company began as a side venture by Edward and Arthur Hess, Lancaster county vegetable farmers; the brothers sold fresh apples from an old tobacco shed on Arthur's farm to supplement their winter crop of homegrown celery. Eventually their apple distribution outgrew the tobacco shed and they moved their operation down the road - a short distance between the brothers' two farms. Currently, Hess Bros. is operated by a second generation - Fred and Jerry Hess, sons of Arthur Hess. Their business has grown into a 45-employee operation that distributes over 20 varieties and 1.5 million bushels of local eastern apples a year. Hess Bros. specializes in the sourcing and wholesale of a large variety of premium apples which are purchased through a network of hand-picked orchards. The apples are then distributed to a wide-range of markets including grocery stores, retail outlets and restaurants. Incidentally, the farms of both Edward and Arthur are still working farms and owned by the Hess family.