Dorenberg Orchards was originally part of the Rainbow Ranche, which dates back to the turn of the century and the beginnings of fruit growing in the Okanagan. In 1949 Louis & Suzanne van Roechoudt purchased 48 acres of the Rainbow Ranche from James Goldie. Applying his knowledge of European high-density fruit growing systems to replant the orchard, Louis used dwarf rootstocks.
Marc van Roechoudt took over from his father in 1969. Marc developed a good relationship with the Pacific Agriculture Research Centre in Summerland, BC and often conducted trials of new varieties as they were tested for commercialization. Marc was always interested in new varieties and this relationship allowed him to be a very early adopter of new varieties! In 2008, with the growth of the Okanagan as a wine region, wine grapes were planted on Dorenberg’s steepest slope.
Rainbow Ranche around 1908