Armenians

THEIR GROUNDBREAKING CONTRIBUTIONS REFLECT A LEGACY OF INNOVATION THAT CONTINUES TO INSPIRE FUTURE GENERATIONS

Armen Tertsagian and Mark Balaban

Partners who transformed an orchard into a candy empire

Founders of Liberty Orchards (Aplets & Cotlets)

Bio


In 1918, business partners Armen Tertsagian (1881-1953) and Mark Balaban (1881-1957) settled in Eastern Washington, where they purchased an apple farm and named it Liberty Orchards, in honor of their new homeland, the US.


In the ensuing decades, Liberty Orchards grew into one of America’s most beloved manufacturers of packaged foods, with the company’s flagship line of confections, Aplets & Cotlets, earning global renown.


In 1974, Liberty Orchards introduced Grapelets to its growing lineup of confections. Grapelets became the “official candy of Expo 74.”


Liberty Orchards has continued to expand its product line.


Today over 80,000 people a year visit the iconic Liberty Orchards’ Candy Kitchens and Country Store, in Cashmere, Washington.

Armen Tertsagian and Mark Balaban