Meet Your Grower
Greg Moser does it all. Throughout the last 30 years he has successfully juggled many positions including growing, marketing, being a CEO, as well as father and even a basketball coach. Now Greg focuses the majority of his efforts on serving as the General Manager of Gold Digger Apples, Inc. in Oroville, Washington. Gold Digger currently owns over 700 acres of apples, pears, and cherries, so this more than a full time job. It is rare that he has a weekend off.
Though Greg is fully immersed in this lifestyle now, he didn’t always know his life would take him back to his hometown of Oroville, WA. In high school, he spent some time picking during apple harvest but didn’t think too much of it because that was common for people his age. After high school, Greg headed to Bellingham and got his degree from Western Washington University in business administration. After working for an insurance agency in Spokane, Greg and his wife, Diane, planned to move to Leavenworth and start a new life there. However, while on their way to Leavenworth, something happened. “I ended up taking a right on 97 and came here, back to Oroville,” Greg stated with a laugh.
To this day, he has remained in the little town of Oroville which is just under 2,000 people and is only a few miles from the Canadian border. Greg and his wife live on the beautiful Lake Osoyoos, a hotspot Canadian getaway.
From there, Greg started the next chapter of his life when he inherited his father-in-law’s orchards and started a family of his own. For the first 18 years, Greg also worked as the marketing director for Gold Digger. Then, for the last 12 years, he has been the General Manager.
Greg now has four grown children, two boys and two girls. Both of the son’s, Gerad and Corbin, are going to college to earn degrees in Agriculture and hopefully come back and take over the orchards one day. They also work with the bees that pollinate the orchards, a study called apiculture.
“You’d be surprised how relaxing it is with just you and the bees at 12 or 1 at night,” says Greg.
Although all the paperwork and relying on Mother Nature to comply can be stressful, Greg has always enjoyed having a job that allows him to be outside and working with the environment. “You just gotta wade through it,” says Greg in reference to all the paperwork and regulations.
Due to this persistent attitude and stressing the importance of quality over quantity, Gold Digger Apples has engendered not only success, but a telling reputation for greatness.
At the end of the day, Greg finds the whole process rewarding and worthwhile despite its stressors. “You really gotta like what you’re doing to do it… and it is amazing to have a job where you get to see the results of what you’ve worked so hard for.”
Gold Digger Apples, Inc. is a grower owned fruit co-op. Established in 1938, it is the last grower owned co-op in Okanogan County. Gold Digger has several member and non-member growers that bring fruit to be stored, packed and shipped at their facilities. The fruit is sold by Chelan Fresh Marketing, LLC, one of the state’s largest marketing agencies.
Gold Digger also opened a winery in 2000 called Okanogan Estate & Vineyards. The winery sells wine through various distributors in several states. In addition to selling wine around the country, the wine is also sold in tasting rooms located in Oroville and Leavenworth. Â Visit http://www.golddiggerapples.com/ for more information.
View Archived Visit an Orchard articles:
- David Cowan
- Rowe Family
- Craig Campbell
- Geoff Thornton
- Gene Bliesner
- Jack Toevs on Babcock Ridge
- Jeff Mills in Orondo, Washington
- Jim Fleming in Quincy, Washington
- Mark Stennes in Pateros, Washington
Learn about Washington Orchards:
- Regions
While our growing regions appear quite dissimilar, they all share ideal growing conditions -- weather, soil and water. - Seasons
Each season of the year plays a role in growing apples. - From Orchard to You
From pruning to your home, learn about the process for preparing apples for you. - Core Facts
Learn about crop facts, care and handling, pesticides and more. - Washington Apple History
In the fertile valleys and plateaus of America's far west, growers tend orchards that produce the world's best apples.
