90 Years of Real Fruit: How Oregon Fruit Became the Fruit for Beverage Company
In 1935, when the first cans of Oregon Fruit were packed in Salem, Oregon, the company’s mission was simple and ambitious: preserve the region’s best fruit so people everywhere could taste the flavor of the Pacific Northwest.
Ninety years later, that same ambitious commitment to quality and authenticity is still at the heart of everything we do.
It all began in the heart of the Willamette Valley, a premier agricultural region that has always had a reputation for producing some of the finest fruit in the country and known for its world-class wines. Founded by the Gehlars in 1935, Oregon Fruit began as a way to share the bounty of Oregon’s cane berries and cherries with the rest of the world. The fruit was local, the flavors were unmatched, and the process was simple.
In the 1990s, Oregon became ground zero for a burgeoning craft beer movement, and a new company chapter began. Brewers searching for new flavors and local ingredients to enhance their fermentations found a natural partner in Oregon Fruit. The company’s high-quality fruit purees became a creative tool for pioneering craft brewers who used real fruit to define an entirely new category of beer, one that celebrated freshness, complexity, and place.
The company continued to innovate through the millennium and beyond. In the 2010s, Oregon Fruit expanded its offerings with a line of purees and compotes developed for foodservice —opening up a variety of fruit-first applications to chefs, bartenders, and operators nationwide and internationally.
This time also brought about a changing of the guard in leadership. Paul Gehlar had been searching for a buyer who would uphold the company’s values of integrity and high-quality products, as well as maintaining cherished grower relationships. He found such a person in Ed Maletis, a third generation Oregonian. When Ed Maletis and family purchased Oregon Fruit in 2011, they viewed themselves as stewards rather than owners.
“Oregon Fruit has always stood for doing things the right way,” says Ed. “My role is to make sure that legacy continues, staying independent, staying connected to our growers, and never losing sight of what makes this company and products special.”
In recent years, that same spirit of innovation and success has guided Oregon Fruit into its next evolution: the world of craft beverages. In 2024, the company introduced a shelf-stable line of fruit purees designed for coffee, bar, and quick-service restaurant applications, giving operators the flavor and quality of fresh or frozen fruit with none of the limitations.
After 90 years, Oregon Fruit remains family-owned, Oregon-based, and unwaveringly committed to craftsmanship, community, and continuous innovation. With fruit offerings that now span the Pacific Northwest and the globe, the company continues to look ahead and anticipate new ways to help beverage and culinary professionals make the most of what real fruit can do. Whether behind the bar, behind the counter, or behind the scenes, the company is guided by the principle of delivering the truest fruit experience possible—on every plate, in every pour, and with every sip.
Because when you start with real fruit, good things keep growing - celebrating 90 years and looking ahead to 100 and beyond.
