Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/366055
22 SEPTEMBER 2014 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com orchard 24-7 with my dad. I wanted to be respected by the other growers and respected by my staff." Gordy joined Rotary in an effort to be involved in the commu- nity, but he had to be back at 1:30 p.m. sharp because his father was waiting for him in the orchard. There was no sleeping in on weekends. "My dad was a very strong individual," Gordy says, "and I'm pretty happy-go-lucky." His mother, Dorothy, was the mediator. Being a people person, one of the first things Gordy did when he came back was take Spanish lessons so he could communi- cate with the workers, though their foreman of 30 years, Romero Gutierrez, speaks good English. He's traveled with Gutierrez to his home in rural Mexico twice. He began a tradition of holding an end- of-harvest fiesta for workers, thus confirming what his father had remarked—that he didn't know much about fruit growing but knew how to throw a good party. His father even- tually agreed that the celebration was a good idea. "It's really, really important to treat some- one like you would want to be treated," says Gordy, who always has gifts for the workers' children at the party and plans to raffle off gift certificates this year to make it more fun. He tries to have a good reputation with workers because he worries about having suf- ficient labor in the future. He grows green and red d'Anjou, Bartlett, Starkrimson, Comice, Golden Russet Bosc, and Concorde. Gordy said the Concordes, which struggle to find a market and look like a potato when russeted, will be grafted over to Bartlett after this harvest. Community work He's been active in the community and volunteers at Brookside Manor, the assisted living and memory care facility where his father was cared for before he died five years ago. His mother, 91, still lives next door. He believes it's the duty of the eldest son to take care of his parents. One of his favorite organizations is United Way because it helps fund many different agencies. In 2006, he instigated a fund- raising calendar called "The Men of Hood River County," which featured 12 nude locals, including orchardist Chuck Thomsen, fruit packer Fred Duckwall, and Gordy, who wore nothing but footwear and a picking bag. The project raised $30,000 for United Way. He's been active in the industry, too. He's been a board member and chair of the Hood River Grower and Shippers Association and a board member at the Diamond Fruit Growers cooperative, where he frequently tops the grower pools because of the high quality of his fruit. He is an alternate member of the Fresh Pear Committee and closely follows the activities of the Pear Bureau Northwest, which promotes pears. He's traveled around the country to take part in pear samplings. "When the consumer comes up to you and realizes you're a farmer, they put you on a ped- estal," Gordy says. "We're really fortunate we have a wonderful product that's so marketable and good, not only to eat, but to look at." Gordy gets up from the kitchen table and walks out the back door into the orchard, which has a spectacular view of Mount Hood. There, on summer nights, 12 to 15 friends come over to enjoy his special pear martini cocktail (vodka, ginger, Limoncello, ginger ale, and a slice of pear) against the mountain backdrop. The cocktail is as delicious as the scenery. Gordy was excited about hosting a visit this fall of a group of supermarket dieticians from around the country who have never been to an orchard before. These days, he allows himself time to leave the orchard occasionally to enjoy city life in Portland, where he has a condo, often taking grower friends with him. But the orchard is where he belongs. "For me, the lifestyle's really important," he says. • Gordy talked friends in Hood River into posing nude for a calendar that raised $30,000 for United Way. A painting depicting Sato's orchard hangs in the kitchen. Gordy Sato collects pear-themed art pieces, including this pear made from recycled metal. He lives in the house in Parkdale, Oregon, where his Japanese grandparents came to live a century ago.