Meet Our Growers

Generations of Farmers

CMI Orchards is proud to work for some of the most skilled and talented fruit growers in the world. It's not uncommon for our growers to have decades of experience. Many of our growers come from multi-generational family farms where the skills of growing top quality fruit are passed on to each succeeding generation.

Bob Mast

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A grower of Ambrosia Gold®, KIKU® and EverCrisp® apples and red cherries.
Bob Mast actually started in the produce industry working for a large national supermarket chain with locations in the Phoenix area. Over a career spanning more than 20+ years, he rose through the ranks to become the top produce executive at the company. In 2003, he left the desert and big city of Phoenix to move to the rural apple paradise of Wenatchee, Washington.

Bob now has orchards growing Ambrosia, EverCrisp® and KIKU® apples as well as red cherries. Bob is active in the apple industry and sits on many industry Boards including the Washington Apple Commission, USApple and the Washington Apple Education Foundation.

Tim Welsh

A leading horticulturist and apple variety development specialist.

As past president of the International Tree Fruit Association, Tim Welsh strives to know just about everything there is to know about new apple varieties and advanced orchard development principles. Tim travels the world on behalf of CMI Orchards to seek out the very best apples no matter where they are grown. He brings test trees back to Washington State for orchard trials to determine if the new apple is suited our unique climate.

Tim was an early innovator with Gala, Honeycrisp and now KIKU®, Kanzi® and Smitten®. He currently has dozens of trees in test blocks, continuing his search for the perfect apple.

Brian Sand

A Wenatchee Valley native with 20+ years experience growing rainier cherries.

Brian Sand grew up in the Wenatchee Valley. After graduating from Washington State University, he has been working in the fruit industry his entire life.

Brian and his wife, Diane, have been growing cherries since 1995 and specialize in growing large, red blushed, Rainier Cherries.

Brian has one son, Jarrod, and two daughters, Megan and Amy. Amy was crowned the 2017 Washington State Apple Blossom Queen! Watch the video below to learn more about Brian and his family's orchard.