Big Tree Top expansion could add hundreds of Eastern WA jobs

Tree Top Inc. could add hundreds of jobs in Prosser under a proposal to expand its fruit processing facility.

Matthew Colvin, director of logistics for Selah, Wash.-based Tree Top, confirmed the company has offered to buy 40 acres next to its Prosser plant from the Port of Benton.

Tree Top offered a little more than $2 million for the site, which it says is the appraised value for the property and its 23 acres of gnarled cherry trees and a railroad spur..

The port has not said if it will accept the offer..

Colvin said Tree Top intends to remove the fruit trees and use the land to support a recent $30 million expansion that doubled production of fruit purées in Prosser.

The addition prompted it to add new workers, expanding its payroll by $2 million, he said.

Tree Top Prosser plans

If it succeeds in purchasing the port-owned orchard property, it will convert four acres into a drop yard to support the current plant.

It will build a wastewater pretreatment plant, a warehouse and eventually, manufacturing facilities. In the longer term, it could add several hundred new jobs in Prosser.

Tree Top employs about 1,000 and operates seven facilities in Washington, Oregon and California. It handles about 1 billion pounds of apples, cherries, pears, apricots, nectarines, strawberries and other fruit each year.

Tree Top operates several business lines, including its branded apple and other juices that are widely sold in grocery stores, coffee shops, restaurants, cafeterias, prisons and elsewhere.

It also converts fruit into ingredients used in jams and jellies, oatmeal, Pop Tarts and any dish featuring fruit. It sells to some of the largest food producers in the world, including PepsiCo and Quaker.

Tree Top calls itself a secondary cooperative, meaning it takes the fruit that is rejected by first-line packers, usually for aesthetic reasons.

“We were ugly before ugly was cool,” Colvin said.

Sustainable reuse

It turns 92% of the “waste” fruit it receives into edible products and dispatches the remainder for cattle feed.

It acquired the Prosser plant from Seneca Foods in 1999. The facility employs 125 and is focused on processing apples, pears, cherries, grapes and other fresh and frozen fruits into juice concentrates.

Wastewater from the production operations is pumped through a pipe under the Yakima River, and sprayed on nearby fields.

Its actual sewage is discharged into the Prosser municipal system.

Colvin said the proposed wastewater pretreatment plant will make Prosser more efficient by curbing the load of organic material. Currently, the plant shuts down when the organic or bioload exceeds legal limits.

Pretreatment will reduce the load and the downtime, he said.

New jobs promised

Colvin said the proposed expansion includes a $22-$25 million warehouse that would employ 25 and eventually, manufacturing facilities that would add 100-300 new jobs.

Tree Top intends to maintain a buffer between its operations and nearby homes, he said.

Tree Top’s existing plant at 2780 Lee Road is just off Interstate 82, at the Wine Country Road exist. The expansion site is to the west and borders the Yakima River.

The Benton County Assessor estimates its taxable value is $1.14 million, though it is exempt from paying taxes since the port is a public entity. If it comes into private ownership, the tax exemption will end.

This story was originally published March 11, 2026 at 12:58 PM.

Wendy Culverwell

Tri-City Herald

Reporter Wendy Culverwell writes about growth, development and business for the Tri-City Herald. She has worked for daily and weekly publications in Washington and Oregon. She earned a degree in English and economics from the University of Puget Sound. Support my work with a digital subscription