The year was 1945 and Earl Smittcamp returned from the South Pacific, where he fought in WWII as a U.S. Marine. With the war ended and enthusiasm rising in the country, he and his wife, Muriel, bought a 200-acre farm the following year from her father. 

Located in California’s fertile San Joaquin Valley, the land boasted 40 acres of peaches. With an initial focus on peaches, Earl started a fresh fruit-packing operation. The farm would eventually become Wawona Ranch and grow into a fully integrated agricultural operation — led by Earl and his sons Bob and Bill – that included fruit farming, packing, frozen-foods production and food processing.

Founded in 1963, Wawona Frozen Foods specializes in the growing and freezing of fresh fruits. As the pioneer in the frozen fruit industry, the company is an industry leader, shipping more than 100 million pounds annually. From orchard to table, Wawona Frozen Foods produces many of America’s favorite fruits including fresh frozen peaches, strawberries, pears, plums, and unique mixed fruit blends.

The company supplies the retail, club store, foodservice, school and food ingredient industries from its processing plants in Clovis, and in Fresno, Calif. Its fruit is found in the nation’s largest jam, yogurt, ice cream, baby food, pie and pastry manufacturers, foodservice distributors, restaurants, resorts and supermarkets, as well as school lunch and breakfast programs.

With over 100 items, the company continues to develop new products. Its innovative approach to growing, hand-harvesting, processing and packaging is the reason it’s distributed throughout North America.

The Smittcamp family’s principles of hard work, integrity and innovation are demonstrated daily in their customer interactions, plant operations and commitment to sustainability. Building on its family heritage and upholding the highest standards of food safety with refreshing taste, texture and natural sweetness, Wawona’s fresh frozen fruit is as close to nature as possible. You can always count on Wawona for quality, consistency and excellent service.