Harry & David

Harry and David, LLC

Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Gourmet food and gift retail
Predecessor	Bear Creek Orchards
Founded	1910 (1910) in Medford, Oregon, United States
Founder	Samuel Rosenberg
Headquarters	Medford , United States
Area served	United States
Key people	Steven Lightman (CEO since March 2015)
Products	Gift baskets, floral arrangements, fresh fruit, chocolates, confections, wines, gourmet breakfast foods, USDA Prime and Choice grade meats
Owner	1-800-Flowers.com, Inc.
Number of employees	Over 8,000 (including seasonal hires as of 2013)
Parent	1-800-Flowers.com, Inc.
Website	www.harryanddavid.com

Harry and David, LLC is a distinguished American producer and retailer specializing in gourmet food and gift items. Its sales channels include direct mail, e-commerce, corporate gifting services, and its premier retail location in Medford, Oregon. The enterprise manages the Harry & David, Wolferman's, and Vital Choice brand portfolios.

Established in 1910 by Samuel Rosenberg under the name Bear Creek Orchards in Medford, Oregon, the business initially focused on high-quality fruit production. Since 2014, Harry and David has operated as a subsidiary of 1-800-Flowers.com, Inc..

Bear Creek Orchards

The origins of the company trace back to 1910 when Samuel Rosenberg acquired Comice pear orchards in Southern Oregon, which were named Bear Creek Orchards after a nearby waterway. Following Rosenberg’s passing in 1914, his sons Harry and David Rosenberg assumed control after completing agricultural studies at Cornell University. They marketed their pears under the "Royal Riviera" label, initially targeting European clientele.

To accommodate expansion during the 1920s, they constructed facilities for packing and pre-cooling to facilitate long-distance shipments. The Great Depression caused a decline in European demand, prompting a strategic pivot toward American markets beginning with Seattle entrepreneurs and subsequently extending to San Francisco and New York by 1934.

In 1934, the company initiated mail-order operations with advertisements featured in leading publications such as Fortune, National Geographic, The New York Times, and Time. Three years later, it launched the "Box of the Month" subscription service—later rebranded as the "Rare Fruit Club" and eventually the "Fruit of the Month" club—establishing a steady recurring revenue stream.

During the late 1930s, amid increasing antisemitism preceding World War II, Harry and David adopted their stepfather’s surname, Holmes.

Harry and David

In 1946, Bear Creek Orchards formally incorporated under the name Harry and David. After the death of founder David Holmes Sr. in 1950, leadership transitioned to his son David H. Holmes Jr., who served as president from 1955 until 1970. Under his direction, Harry & David acquired the rose company Jackson & Perkins. Subsequently, leadership passed to John R. H. Holmes, son of Harry Holmes.

In 1972, David H. Holmes Jr. established Bear Creek Corporation as a holding entity for Harry & David and its subsidiaries. Bear Creek went public in 1976 before being acquired by RJR Nabisco in 1984; it was then sold to Shaklee Corporation in 1986. In 1989, Japanese corporation Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical purchased Shaklee along with Bear Creek. Throughout the 1990s, Harry & David expanded its retail footprint to over 119 stores and launched its website in 1996 to enable online sales.

In June 2004, investment groups Wasserstein & Co. (holding 63%) and Highfields Capital Management (with 34%) acquired nearly 97% of Harry & David’s shares. The company divested Jackson & Perkins in 2007 to concentrate on premium food gifts and broadened its offerings by acquiring online retailers Wolferman's and Cushman's in 2008.

The financial crisis of the late 2000s combined with debt from the 2004 buyout led Harry & David to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in March 2011. Operations continued throughout restructuring efforts, culminating in emergence from bankruptcy by September that year. Following reorganization, the company enhanced both profitability and sales volume, earning recognition as "large company turnaround of the year" from the Turnaround Management Association in 2012.

In November 2012, Harry & David introduced a winery sourcing grapes from Oregon vineyards and began marketing wines via its website. The company was purchased by online retailer 1-800-Flowers for $142.5 million in August 2014, becoming a fully owned subsidiary.

Craig Johnson held the CEO position from October 2011 until February 2015; Steven Lightman succeeded him starting March 2015. In April 2020, Harry & David permanently shuttered nearly all physical retail stores except for its flagship Country Village location in Medford.

Operations

Harry & David manufactures and markets high-end food items and gift products under three distinct brands: Harry & David, Wolferman's, and Stockyards. Their offerings encompass gift baskets, floral arrangements, fresh fruit, chocolates, confections, and wines. Wolferman's specializes in gourmet breakfast foods, particularly English muffins, while Stockyards is known for its USDA Prime and Choice grade meats.

The company maintains three separate websites—HarryAndDavid.com, Wolfermans.com, and Stockyards.com—hosted within the multi-brand platform of 1800flowers.com. In addition to e-commerce and catalog sales, Harry & David's merchandise is sold through about fifty permanent retail locations across the United States, supplemented by roughly thirty seasonal outlets during the holiday season. The business experiences significant cash flow fluctuations, with the majority of revenue generated during the fall and winter months due to holiday demand.

Based in Medford, Oregon, Harry & David stands as the largest non-healthcare employer in the Rogue Valley as of 2015. The company oversees 2,000 acres of orchard land along with production facilities and a distribution center located in Medford. It also operates a distribution site known as the Hopewell Campus in Hebron, Ohio. By 2013, the workforce exceeded 8,000 employees, including temporary seasonal hires. As part of a strategic initiative for sustained expansion, new orchards were planted beginning in 2015.

Naming rights

Harry & David possesses the naming rights to Medford’s main baseball stadium, called Harry & David Field.

See also

• List of companies based in Oregon

References

https://corporateofficeheadquarters.org/harry-and-david/