Cuyama Orchards, an organic apple grower, packer and shipper, has been part of the Albano family for nearly three decades. Howard and Jean Albano were at the helm since 1992 but have stepped aside for their son Byron to take charge of the bulk of the farm management as well as marketing. The orchards span 300 acres and are located in the uppermost part of the Cuyama Valley between Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. The unique geographical location is a major part of what makes this orchard special. At 3,300 in elevation, Cuyama has a similar harvest window to Washington’s Yakima Valley; the rest of California picks much earlier. Warm days and cool crisp nights provides ideal weather for growing sweet, crunchy apples that are bursting with flavor.

Unlike many orchards, the Cuyama trees are often grown on a metal “V” trellis for labor efficiency and better light penetration. They’re carefully and minimally pruned to allow maximum sunlight to hit all parts of the branches and fruit.

Cuyama Orchards also operates a state-of-the-art controlled atmosphere cold storage facility located nearby in Arvin, CA. In addition to having the ability to control temperature, oxygen and CO-2 levels to perfectly preserve the quality of their apples, they also offer forced air pre-cooling, cold storage, inventory control, and order fulfillment services to several neighboring farms.