Willamette Valley Fruit Company, Salem

Sunlight beams down on the stretches of green fields of Willamette Valley Fruit Company, saturating acres of bushes and trees with enough sugary photosynthesis energy to produce up to 12 million pounds of fruit a year. The family in charge of the ripe bounty plucks rhubarb, strawberries, and five types of blackberries before individually flash-freezing them at their peak of plumpness. They then lovingly pour berries into up to 2,000 dairy-free, handmade pie crusts a day. Once assembled, the pies flood homes with appley aromas as they bake for the first time in customers’ ovens. In addition to the made-from-scratch pies, Willamette Valley Fruit Company transforms their berries into jams and snack bars, the latter of which can be used to make the least intimidating possible wall for a jail cell.