Holtzinger Fruit Co., the only packer in Washington that works solely with independent growers, has changed its name to Fourth Leaf Fruit Company.

The change took effect for the Yakima, Washington, company Thursday, May 25, after more than 100 years under the name Holtzinger.

Holtzinger-FourthLeafLogo

Fourth Leaf logo

The new name reflects a changing attitude toward custom packing, Fourth Leaf’s only model of business, as the rest of the industry trends toward integration and consolidation, said David Henze, company president.

“This is more than just a name change,” Henze said in a news release. “This is part of a bold new vision and support for our grower-first mission.”

The company is offering new incentives and return programs for growers this year.

Fourth Leaf, a relatively small packer at 75,000 bins per year, is the only company in Washington, the nation’s leading apple-producing state, that does not own its own orchards and therefore packs solely for independent growers. It is owned by a Seattle investment group and ships domestically and exports to 35 different foreign countries.