With the continued development of new varieties and ever increasing production of apples on "The Ridge", Rodney Kober, Robert Steffens, Victor Hubert, Ken Hubert, Patrick Goodfellow, Scott Swindeman, and Rich Kent found the need for additional sources to effectively pack their fruit. In 2013, these growers united to form Elite Apple Co., LLC, and moved forward with the planning and construction of a new state-of-the-art packing facility to be built on an undeveloped portion of 10 Mile Rd in Sparta Township.