The heart of our people and our commitment to excellence yield the best ingredients for our customers. The facility that would become Milne Fruit Products Inc. (MFP) began in 1956 as Prosser Packers, and it functioned as an ingredient plant for Kraft Foods. In 1975 Kraft decided to divest the property, and Ray Milne, the plant manager at the time, partnered with other local investors to buy the bu
siness, continuing it as a processor and supplier for various food industry sectors with an operational philosophy of integrity and consistency. The facility grew significantly over the years, backed by Milne’s commitment to developing new products driven by customers’ needs and the company’s dedication to quality assurance of both raw material and finished product. In 1985 Milne was purchased by Ocean Spray, which operated it as a wholly owned subsidiary producing juice concentrate and puree. In 2004 a local family committed to delivering quality products and service purchased Milne Fruit Products. Today MFP uses state-of-the-art equipment to process fruit-based products and ingredients, all of them enriched with outstanding service. The company operates under the leadership of Michael Sorenson, president and general manager, who brings his firsthand experience to operations, which still emphasize efficiency and excellence.
“I started as inside sales and later moved to procurement,” recalls Sorenson. He eventually worked his way up to corporate leadership, and continues to support the company in its reputation for professional dealings and quality products. “That’s what Milne is known for,” he explains. “We offer some of the best service in the business, supplying ingredients to the food and beverage industry. A lot of that business is juice and puree concentrates. We focus on high-colored fruits like concord grape, blueberries and raspberries.”
The company creates its fruit juices, concentrates, purees and custom blends from 25 fruit varieties, using rigorous quality controls to deliver healthy, 100-percent natural food components for a diverse consumer marketplace.
