Owner Greg Nix is a fifth-generation apple farmer. His
love for the apple industry began at an early age. He's been on tractors in
the orchard with his grandfather since age five!In 1983, Greg and his uncle decided that they would like
to market their apples differently than they had been doing in the past, so
they bought a used packing line and started packing fresh apples under the
label of Nix and Moss. As time progressed, Greg bought more land and
increased his production. Along with increased production had to come
increased sales. In 1987, Greg came up with a new name and the label
changed from Nix and Moss. In 1999, Greg and his uncle had a friendly family
split so that each of them could operate separately. At this time Greg built a new packing facility
and installed a new electronic color sorter and apple sizer to increase
quality and consistency so that Apple Wedge could be competitive in the
market place.
Today Apple Wedge is the marketing arm for Apple Hill
Orchards, which is owned and operated by Greg Nix. We also pack for 15 to 20
other growers in our area. In a normal year, AWP will market approximately
200,000 bushels of apples to grocery stores such as Ingles, Food Lion, and
Wal-Mart, as well as to the military, school systems, and many retail
outlets in the Southeast.
In 1995 Apple Wedge Cider was established and we began to
produce and market fresh cider. We have progressed from producing approximately 15,000
gallons our first year to producing over 100,000 gallons seasonally. The
cider is sold to many of the same customer as the fresh apples.
When Greg first started in the apple business he started
with about 30 acres and approximately 2000 trees. Today the orchards consist
of approximately 150 acres and 45,000 trees.
