.Sebastopol’s Last Apple Processor Is Moving to WA

Who even is Sebastopol without any big apple-squishing warehouses? We’re about to find out. The last remaining “commercial apple processing facility” left in town — the last in the whole county, in fact — is moving up to the City of Sunnyside in Washington state next year, where it’s cheaper to do business, KRCB news radio and the Sonoma County Gazette are reporting. The apple company we’re losing is century-old Manzana Products, whose giant brick plant you may have spotted along Green Valley Road. “For Manzana, the company that’s helped keep Sebastopol’s famous Gravenstein apple alive, their 103rd year in business will be their last in Graton,” KRCB reports. More from the Gazette: “The company cited dwindling local apple production and the high cost of transporting apples from Washington state to produce its apple cider, apple sauce and apple cider vinegar. According to Manzana Products CEO Andy Kay, the company currently trucks the majority of its apples from Washington. ‘We can no longer bear the costs to transport 80 percent of our apples,’ Kay said, adding that one-fourth of what the company currently pays for apples is purely for transportation cost. In addition, Kay noted the high cost of doing business in California is eating into the company’s bottom line. ‘Business in California, especially in Sebastopol, is expensive,’ Kay said. ‘The cost of inflation and labor availability is making it difficult to stay here.'” All logistics aside, the Gazette reports, company leaders also recognizes the “lasting impact” their move will have on the community. Kay tells the paper: “Manzana is part of Sonoma County’s rich agricultural history. Many of our employees are descendants of or related to multiple generations of family members who worked at Manzana.” To soften the blow, Manzana’s owners have reportedly offered their 180 employees the option to move to Washington and work for them there instead. They’ve also agreed to keep buying apples from local growers through 2029, so they have time to find other buyers. (Source: KRCB & Sonoma County Gazette)