Fruit packing cooperatives are becoming something of an oddity in the Washington tree fruit industry, which is dominated today by large, ­private, vertically integrated companies. But Chelan Fruit Cooperative is taking steps to make sure it continues to thrive even as the fruit ­industry evolves. Years ago, north central Washington (from Wenatchee to the Canadian border) was dotted with fruit cooperatives. Over the years, through consolidation, the number of warehouses has dropped dramatically. Thirty years ago, the Wenatchee district had 84 packers. Twenty years ago, it had 41. Today, a little over 20 remain, of which four are cooperatives. Chelan […]