In 1911, William McCaffray Sr. wrote a letter to a friend he'd worked with in a Nevada gold mine. His letter outlined an idea for founding a canning operation in the Pacific Northwest and asked for a loan of $5,000 to get it started. The friend agreed, and the National Fruit Canning Company was established in Olympia, Washington on January 15, 1912.

Six years later, after recognizing the advantages of frozen food processing, McCaffray began cold-packing strawberries in 50-gallon wooden barrels.

By 1928, they had started freezing one-pound cups of strawberries—some of the earliest frozen retail packaging in the world. In the 1930s, they began freezing vegetables with one of the first freezing tunnels in the United States.

Throughout the history, two constants have defined as a company: a dedication to continued improvement through innovation, and serving the customers with a generosity of spirit inspired by our founder.

The industry knowledge and flexible approach help us partner strategically with customers on any scale. They often collaborate with their customers in the early planning stages to develop the best solutions for their unique needs.

With experienced teams, proprietary systems, and company-wide emphasis on innovation, the’re continually expanding our capabilities. Big or small, in their region or on the other side of the world, they can deliver what you need.