What’s with the trademark? Why would a bunch of farms need that?
Good question. Apple Hill® is not and has never been a geographical area.
The Apple Hill® Growers is a collaboration of 50 small farms in the Camino/Fruitridge area of El Dorado County. Our association was established in 1964, at which time the brand name Apple Hill® was coined to represent our small farms that were determined to bring the public to our farms to experience the small farm experience and taste the bounty of our crops and delicious pastries made from our produce.
Since 1964, the number of farms that comprise the Apple Hill® Growers has grown in number and notoriety. Our member farms have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars over our nearly 60 years of existence to build on and market our brand name, which proudly represents the quality products produced and experiences brought to you by our member farms.
While it may seem trivial, the notoriety of the Apple Hill® brand name was built on the backs of our member farms, which strive to bring our customers excellent products and experiences, not to mention funding nearly 60 years of advertising and promotion to get to where we are today. For our small family farms, that is not an insignificant investment. When others use our brand name to describe a region that includes other non-farm businesses, it’s confusing. More importantly, it dilutes the quality associated with our name that represents years of hard work on the part of our family-owned farms. Trademarking protects our member farms which are small family-owned operations.
The Apple Hill® Growers Association is not a giant conglomerate with millions of dollars trying to squish the little guy. We represent the little guy – the small family farms in the Camino/Fruitridge Ag District. That’s why it’s important to us to protect the Apple Hill® brand name. To the thousands of people who visit our farms each year and consider it a beloved family tradition, our farms and the Apple Hill® name represent agricultural quality and years of hard work.
We’re grateful to everyone who has supported our farms and agricultural business over the last 60 years and look forward to serving generations to come.