Last Bite

Mike Roche’s Jewel label was a symbol of quality in the tree fruit industry; the Yak label was a play on the name Yakima, where Roche was based. The Yak and Jewel brands are among the oldest apple and pear labels from the Yakima, Washington, area. The Jewel brand is still being used today by the fourth generation of the label’s originator, William Emmet “Mike” Roche, who was born in 1880 in Ireland. Mike immigrated to America in about 1900. He landed in New York City on his way to St. Paul, Minnesota, where he secured a job as a […]