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Peach–O–Rama

The juicy story of the summertime tradition

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Closeup of whole peaches on a table

Every July for nearly three decades, baskets full of luscious peaches have flooded into Metropolitan Market. Now these aren’t your ordinary peaches—they’re honey-sweet, perfectly ripe, juicy-dripping jewels. In short, they’re the best dang peach you will ever taste.

Peach-O-Rama is a widely anticipated community event, bringing in folks from far and wide to revel in the sweetness of summer. The time-honored celebration was born from our founder Terry Halverson’s nostalgic love for the golden fruit, which he enjoyed fresh from the orchard throughout his childhood in Eastern Washington. 

Our founder holding a box of peaches with two people

Peach-O-Rama's Sweet History

Every summer, Terry and his family would pick peaches for eating, jamming, and canning. He still dreams of the decadent peach pies his mom would make with the harvest. Halverson smiles back on those warm memories with fondness, “They were as good as you could get. There was nothing like making a mess eating the fully loaded, juicy, aromatic peaches.” 

When Terry founded Metropolitan Market, his mind kept drifting back to the glorious peaches of Yakima—there had to be a way to deliver their outstanding taste and drip-down-your-chin texture to Western Washington. Determined to make it a reality, Terry teamed up with food consultant Jon Rowley, and together they tasted hundreds of peaches from all over the country, unyielding in their pursuit of the perfect peach until they were certain that they had found the very best. 

whole and cut peaches

From Branch to Bite

Most peaches sold in other grocery stores are picked when they’re firm and underripe to decrease the chance of bruising during shipping, but doing so stunts their sweetness (this is why it’s hard to find high-quality, ripe, sweet peaches in Western Washington!).

At Metropolitan Market, we do things a bit differently. Our meticulously selected growers allow the fruit to develop on the tree for longer than the standard duration. This unique process lets the peaches ripen to maximum juicy sweetness. “We put that extra step in,” says Dino, our produce buyer. “These are things that no one else is doing.”

The farmers use a device called a refractometer to measure the sugar content, or Brix, of the fruit. While other stores’ peaches tend to score a Brix level of 8-10, ours regularly reach 13 and above! And to avoid the problem of bruising, every peach is handpicked and hand-packed in single-layer boxes specially designed to create a cushy, blemish-free environment for the journey to the store.

Peach-O-Rama logo

A Peach-Perfect Triumph

With Peach-O-Rama, the commitment to excellence doesn’t stop at the orchard. Our peaches are tested daily by our in-store experts for ripeness, Brix levels, and overall quality, ensuring only the fullest-flavored fruit gushing with sweet nectar reach our shelves.

While the length of the season depends on weather patterns, you can typically find Peach-O-Rama peaches in store from mid-July through Labor Day. Our farmers supply us with several varieties, from Diamond Princess to Elegant Ladies. And it’s not just the produce department that gets in on the fun—our prepared foods team and even our Butcher Shop whip up crave-worthy peach creations. Peach-O-Rama is an exuberant celebration of peaches unlike any other—it’s a joyful ode to the natural abundance of our region.

So come on in and get ready to taste pure peachy bliss!