Sopore Apple Producer Company Limited

Sopore is known for its fruit, and Sopore Apple Producer Company Limited is our way of keeping that tradition going. We are based out of Mohammad Maqbool Malik’s house in Saripora Baramulla. It’s a busy spot, especially when the picking season starts. If you come by, you’ll likely see crates stacked up and people arguing about the best way to load the trucks. Apples are tricky because they bruise so easily. You have to be careful with every single one. We spend a lot of time in the orchards, looking at the trees and hoping the hail stays away. Some of the trees are quite old now, but they still produce good fruit if you treat them right. We don’t have a big corporate office with air conditioning. We just use the space at Mohammad’s place to get the paperwork sorted and meet with the other growers. It gets loud and crowded when everyone shows up at once. There’s always tea being made and people talking about the market prices. We’ve all grown up around these orchards, so we don't really know any other way of life. It’s hard work on the back and the hands, and your clothes always smell like the outdoors. We just want to make sure the apples from this part of Baramulla get to where they need to go. Sometimes the roads are blocked or the weather turns bad, but we just deal with it as it comes.