Label History

The history of fruit crate labels is a part of the larger story of the westward expansion of the United States.

Before railroads made transcontinental shipping a reality, fruit and other perishable produce was grown only for local markets. The shorter distance between the farmer and the consumer meant there was less need for fruit brokers and middle men.

Consumers frequently bought directly from the producer and there was no need for brand identity. The farmer or grocer might stencil their name on the box, but a box of apples was just a box of apples.

The rich soil of the high desert steppe drew settlers, who in turn, fueled the development of regional irrigation systems.

Railroads shaped the West in many ways. They brought immigrants to the West (many of whom bought land from the railroad) and shipped Western products back to burgening markets in the east.

Early settlers in the region arrived to find an arid land with rich soil that received less than 6 inches of precipitation during the growing season. These pioneers faced some basic challenges in their struggle to build a regional fruit industry: finding the right land, finding a way to bring water to the land, and finally, finding a way to get their crops to distant markets.

"An Act Regulating Irrigation and Water Rights in the County of Yakima, Washington Territory" was passed in 1873 to enable and regulate what were then primarily private irrigation companies.

By 1884 the Northern Pacific Railway had arrived in what was to become North Yakima in Washington Territory. By 1888 orchardists in Yakima County could ship their fruit to Eastern markets and to the growing markets on the west side of the Cascades.

Successfully selling apples grown in the Northwest to consumers in Seattle, San Francisco, Chicago or New York was not just a matter of getting the fruit shipped out. It also required the development of a marketing framework that linked the grower to a local packing house, the packer to national distributors, who sent buyers to regional fruit markets and auction halls where train loads of fresh fruit arrived daily. The fruit crate label was designed to attract the attention of those buyers, who acted as brokers between the fruit growers and the wholesale houses. Because growers competed against one another on the quality of their product, brand identity became an important marketing tool.

"Thousands of cases of uniformly crated fruit stood in rows on the concrete floors. Buyers would pace down the aisles and look for the labels that they had found to mean quality . . . The label had to do its job completely and effectively in a matter of moments."

Pat Jacobsen's Millenum Guide to Fruit Crate Labels (2000)

Picked fruit was moved from a grower's field to the packing house, and from there to a regional distribution center where it was purchased by fruit brokers acting on behalf of wholesalers.

An early stone lithograph,
lithographer unknown.

After 1910, half-tone techniques and rotary off-set printing became the dominant method of label production. Regardless of how they were produced, fruit crate labels were designed to be visually appealing. Successful labels were art in the service of commerce.

divides labels into two catagories, private and stock. Private labels were custom designed for the exclusive use of a specific grower or business. Stock labels were pre-printed templates that could have a grower's or business's name and details added.

The author also mentions the informal practice of label color coding that became widely adopted over time. Background colors on the label were used to identify the grade of apples in the box. Blue labels were used for extra fancy, red for fancy, and green, white or yellow for C grade fruit.

estimates that in the 120 years that fruit crate labels were used, over half a trillion labels were produced, with fewer than 1 percent of them still in existance today. The author refers to crate labels as "accidental artifacts." Designed to advertise perishable produce, the labels were never intended as durable keepsakes, but they have become highly sought-after collectibles. Popular labels weren't saved because they were effective sales tools, they were saved because people liked how they looked.

The Apple King label was first used by Richey and Gilbert in the early 1940s. This enduring design has outlived the wooden crate era.

Click here to learn more about the history of the Apple King brand.

Apples were originally shipped to local markets in hardwood barrels or bushel baskets. With the introduction of transcontinental shipping, Western growers need a better packing container, one that was more compact, would stack well, and was still sturdy enough to protect fragil produce.

In 1898 the Northwest Fruit Growers Association standardized the Northwest apple box as a softwood crate, 10½" deep, 11½" wide, and 18" long. It was designed to hold a bushel of apples, with a label pasted on the end of the box to identify and sell the contents.

Beginning in the 1950s, wooden crates adorned with brightly colored end labels were largely replaced by corrugated cardboad boxes that were pre-printed with brand information. Fruit crate labels were no longer in demand as marketing tools.

Today the demand for fruit crate labels comes from collectors who appreciate the artful designs of these artifacts of commerce.

The history of fruit crate labels is a part of the larger story of the westward expansion of the United States.

Before railroads made transcontinental shipping a reality, fruit and other perishable produce was grown only for local markets. The shorter distance between the farmer and the consumer meant there was less need for fruit brokers and middle men.

Consumers frequently bought directly from the producer and there was no need for brand identity. The farmer or grocer might stencil their name on the box, but a box of apples was just a box of apples.

The rich soil of the high desert steppe drew settlers, who in turn, fueled the development of regional irrigation systems.

Railroads shaped the West in many ways. They brought immigrants to the West (many of whom bought land from the railroad) and shipped Western products back to burgening markets in the east.

"An Act Regulating Irrigation and Water Rights in the County of Yakima, Washington Territory" was passed in 1873 to enable and regulate what were then primarily private irrigation companies.

By 1884 the Northern Pacific Railway had arrived in what was to become North Yakima in Washington Territory. By 1888 orchardists in Yakima County could ship their fruit to Eastern markets and to the growing markets on the west side of the Cascades.

"Thousands of cases of uniformly crated fruit stood in rows on the concrete floors. Buyers would pace down the aisles and look for the labels that they had found to mean quality . . . The label had to do its job completely and effectively in a matter of moments."

Pat Jacobsen's Millenum Guide to Fruit Crate Labels (2000)

Picked fruit was moved from a grower's field to the packing house, and from there to a regional distribution center where it was purchased by fruit brokers acting on behalf of wholesalers.

An early stone lithograph,
lithographer unknown.

Fruit crate labels were introduced in the last decades of the 19th century. The earliest labels were created using stone lithographic processes.

According to Washington State Fruit Industry. . . a brief history (1972) by W. A. Luce, the "first order of box labels (25,000) was placed by the Yakima County Horticultural Union in 1907."

After 1910, half-tone techniques and rotary off-set printing became the dominant method of label production. Regardless of how they were produced, fruit crate labels were designed to be visually appealing. Successful labels were art in the service of commerce.

The Ultimate Fruit Label Book, by John Baule(2006)

divides labels into two catagories, private and stock. Private labels were custom designed for the exclusive use of a specific grower or business. Stock labels were pre-printed templates that could have a grower's or business's name and details added.

The author also mentions the informal practice of label color coding that became widely adopted over time. Background colors on the label were used to identify the grade of apples in the box. Blue labels were used for extra fancy, red for fancy, and green, white or yellow for C grade fruit.

Pat Jacobsen's Millenium Guide to Fruit Crate Labels

The Apple King label was first used by Richey and Gilbert in the early 1940s. This enduring design has outlived the wooden crate era.

Click here to learn more about the history of the Apple King brand.

Apples were originally shipped to local markets in hardwood barrels or bushel baskets. With the introduction of transcontinental shipping, Western growers need a better packing container, one that was more compact, would stack well, and was still sturdy enough to protect fragil produce.

In 1898 the Northwest Fruit Growers Association standardized the Northwest apple box as a softwood crate, 10½" deep, 11½" wide, and 18" long. It was designed to hold a bushel of apples, with a label pasted on the end of the box to identify and sell the contents.

Beginning in the 1950s, wooden crates adorned with brightly colored end labels were largely replaced by corrugated cardboad boxes that were pre-printed with brand information. Fruit crate labels were no longer in demand as marketing tools.

Today the demand for fruit crate labels comes from collectors who appreciate the artful designs of these artifacts of commerce.

Label History

The history of fruit crate labels is a part of the larger story of the westward expansion of the United States.

Before railroads made transcontinental shipping a reality, fruit and other perishable produce was grown only for local markets. The shorter distance between the farmer and the consumer meant there was less need for fruit brokers and middle men.

Consumers frequently bought directly from the producer and there was no need for brand identity. The farmer or grocer might stencil their name on the box, but a box of apples was just a box of apples.

The rich soil of the high desert steppe drew settlers, who in turn, fueled the development of regional irrigation systems.

Railroads shaped the West in many ways. They brought immigrants to the West (many of whom bought land from the railroad) and shipped Western products back to burgening markets in the east.

"An Act Regulating Irrigation and Water Rights in the County of Yakima, Washington Territory" was passed in 1873 to enable and regulate what were then primarily private irrigation companies.

By 1884 the Northern Pacific Railway had arrived in what was to become North Yakima in Washington Territory. By 1888 orchardists in Yakima County could ship their fruit to Eastern markets and to the growing markets on the west side of the Cascades.

"Thousands of cases of uniformly crated fruit stood in rows on the concrete floors. Buyers would pace down the aisles and look for the labels that they had found to mean quality . . . The label had to do its job completely and effectively in a matter of moments."

Pat Jacobsen's Millenum Guide to Fruit Crate Labels (2000)

Picked fruit was moved from a grower's field to the packing house, and from there to a regional distribution center where it was purchased by fruit brokers acting on behalf of wholesalers.

An early stone lithograph, lithographer unknown.

Fruit crate labels were introduced in the last decades of the 19th century. The earliest labels were created using stone lithographic processes.

According to Washington State Fruit Industry. . . a brief history (1972) by W. A. Luce, the "first order of box labels (25,000) was placed by the Yakima County Horticultural Union in 1907."

After 1910, half-tone techniques and rotary off-set printing became the dominant method of label production. Regardless of how they were produced, fruit crate labels were designed to be visually appealing. Successful labels were art in the service of commerce.

The Ultimate Fruit Label Book, by John Baule(2006)

divides labels into two catagories, private and stock. Private labels were custom designed for the exclusive use of a specific grower or business. Stock labels were pre-printed templates that could have a grower's or business's name and details added.

The author also mentions the informal practice of label color coding that became widely adopted over time. Background colors on the label were used to identify the grade of apples in the box. Blue labels were used for extra fancy, red for fancy, and green, white or yellow for C grade fruit.

Pat Jacobsen's Millenium Guide to Fruit Crate Labels

The Apple King label was first used by Richey and Gilbert in the early 1940s. This enduring design has outlived the wooden crate era.

Click here to learn more about the history of the Apple King brand.

Apples were originally shipped to local markets in hardwood barrels or bushel baskets. With the introduction of transcontinental shipping, Western growers need a better packing container, one that was more compact, would stack well, and was still sturdy enough to protect fragil produce.

In 1898 the Northwest Fruit Growers Association standardized the Northwest apple box as a softwood crate, 10½" deep, 11½" wide, and 18" long. It was designed to hold a bushel of apples, with a label pasted on the end of the box to identify and sell the contents.

Beginning in the 1950s, wooden crates adorned with brightly colored end labels were largely replaced by corrugated cardboad boxes that were pre-printed with brand information. Fruit crate labels were no longer in demand as marketing tools.

Today the demand for fruit crate labels comes from collectors who appreciate the artful designs of these artifacts of commerce.

An early stone lithograph,
lithographer unknown.