Empire West Inc. Company Information:
Company News > Building Renovation Complete

Culminating a project that began ten years ago, Empire West recently erected a brand new company sign to go with their newly renovated and restored manufacturing facility in downtown Graton, CA.

"I've always had a fondness for old industrial buildings," recalls Rich Yonash, the company's owner, "and when my father and I saw this one come on the market back in 1980 we knew it was pretty rough, but we could see the potential. And there was something about Graton that just felt right."

Built in the late '40's as an apple drying plant to support the war effort, this 35,000 square foot factory and the town surrounding it have come a long way. "Graton was a thriving agricultural center through the '40's, 50's, and '60's," Yonash explains.

"Famous for its Gravenstein apples, Graton and the surrounding area had regular rail service to a dozen big processing facilities, and the apple production of this region rivaled that of Washington State. In the '70's, however, as real estate prices increased and import fruit prices came down, that picture began to change. When we bought the plant most of the storefronts in town were vacant. There was only one apple processor left, and they moved to the Central Valley a few years later."

Located where the wine country meets the redwoods, the town of Graton and the Empire West factory were on the brink of a renaissance. "For us it started with a seismic upgrade," Yonash explains.

"We lived here, we worked here, and rather than seek a more conventional manufacturing facility in an industrial park we made a conscious decision to invest in this great old building, and to try and bring it back.When the structural improvements to insure earthquake safety were complete, we just kept going. Fortunately, the rest of the town did the same."

Today the old railroad right-of-way is a county park and bike trail, the once empty storefronts are filled with good restaurants and shops, and vineyards have replaced the apple orchards. Down by the creek on the west side of town, the old apple dryer that once processed fruit for the GI's in WWII is now a modern manufacturing facility that the whole town can be proud of. "Sometimes folks ask us why we're located in Graton, rather than the South Bay or the Central Valley," Yonash muses, "and I think to myself, 'If they have to ask the question, they probably won't understand the answer'".