"Straight from the tree and into your hands" Ryan and Shane are fourth generation farmers that had no desire of taking over the family business.
ProFarm Produce is a wholesale fruit and produce company that was founded by two brothers, Ryan and Shane Stonemetz, in the summer of 2008. They grew up watching their father and grandfather work hard every minute of everyday just to stress and wonder if the fruit warehouses controlling the market would pay enough to not only cover the expenses for the previous year, but also enough to provide for
their family! So, Ryan and Shane both went to college and graduated in respected fields. Ryan living in Portland, and Shane living in Seattle, couldn’t believe the markup in prices of fruit from what the farmer got to what it was sold for in the stores. They were distraught knowing that their family puts in all the hard work, the expenses, the stress and pressure of growing high-quality fruit just to be underpaid and unappreciated by the “middle-man” and retailers! This is when ProFarm Produce was born. Ryan and Shane left everything they had going for them, bought a little 12-foot reefer truck and loaded it up with organic cherries. They took off to Portland, OR with no wholesale clients, but had a goal and were determined to succeed. They knew if they can just get the consumer to try their product and see the price, they’d be hooked. They joined a few local farmers markets in Portland, OR. The response they got from customers on the quality of their fruit and the prices they sold them at, Ryan and Shane knew they were on to something. Gradually they picked up a few wholesale clients that then referred other clients and ProFarm Produce began to grow! Now, Ryan and Shane entering their fifth year of business have bigger trucks, 20 farmers markets in the Portland area, and more wholesale clients. They started with a dream and goal of cutting out the middle man and being a direct wholesaler to the retailer and consumer. They knew that not only would the fruit be fresher, but they would have the capability of selling their product at a MUCH lower cost. Thus far, we’re on our way to reaching our goals, and we’ve become a dream come true for our customers.
