Bear Creek Orchards, Inc. history

In time, the company ventured into breeding new roses, and in 1901, it introduced its first hybrid, the Dorothy Perkins Climber.

In 1910 he traded his luxurious hotel for 240 prime acres of pear orchards in Southern Oregon’s Rogue River Valley and named his orchard after Bear Creek, which flowed through the fertile valley.

After Rosenberg died in 1916, his sons, David and Harry, 27 and 26, who had studied agriculture at Cornell University, took over the family business.

In May 1936, David Rosenberg traveled to New York to discuss further marketing plans with Sumner.

1950: David Holmes dies.

Glenn Harrison took over the day-to-day decision making for the $5 million business, along with David Holmes, Jr., in 1953, after Harry Holmes withdrew from active participation in the business because of a heart condition.

1972: The company forms Bear Creek Corporation.

Bear Creek earned between $12 million and $13 million in 1986, and $11.4 million in 1987, helping out the stalled Shaklee. As a result of its success, Bear Creek began to attract offers from interested buyers, and in January 1984, R.J. Reynolds Development Corporation acquired Bear Creek Corporation for $74 million as part of its own effort to generate growth through acquisition.

Nearly three years later, in November 1986, Shaklee Corporation, a vitamin, household goods, and personal care products company, purchased Bear Creek from R.J. Reynolds for $123 million.

He remained in charge of Bear Creek when, in 1989, Yamanouchi Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. acquired Shaklee Corporation.

1991: Harry and David opens its first outlet store in Oregon.

1992: Harry and David debuts its stores division.

Building on more than a half century of direct marketing experience, the move to the Internet was a natural extension of the company's catalog sales, although Bear Creek waited until 1996 to go on the Web.

By 1997, Harry and David achieved $300 million in sales.

In 1998, Jackson & Perkins won top prize in international rose competitions in England, Germany, and The Netherlands.

Looking to the future, it aimed to make a quarter of its sales online by 2005, and was opening stores at the rate of about 75 a year.