What began as a marketing flourish in the early 20th century has become a quiet backbone of modern grocery retail.

YAKIMA, Wash. — Lifelong Yakima Valley resident Mike Doty collects fruit crate labels for the thrill of the hunt. “That’s what it’s all about. Stuff we’ve never seen before,” he said. Thomas Hull, a ...

Naumes can recall by heart the stories, companies and people behind many of the labels in her collection. MEDFORD, Ore. — Inside a southern Oregon farmhouse, there are pears everywhere: a giant, ...

For such small pieces of paper, produce labels attract a lot of attention. Affixed to boxes of fruit or vegetables, they serve a utilitarian purpose by advertising what they are and where they come ...

A Sno-Kist fruit crate label, shown here in a provided photo, from before 1918. The labels were used to advertise the iconic fruits of the Northwest before the advent of cardboard boxes. Before the ...