Just after the turn of the century, a young Armenian named Armen Tertsagian emigrated from Turkey to the United States, working his way from Ellis Island across the rugged continent to the infant city of Seattle in Washington State. There he met Mark Balaban, another young Armenian who was visiting from Turkey. They had much in common and it wasn’t long before they became fast friends who decided to venture into business together. But life in Seattle was far from easy. Their initial business ventures, a yogurt factory and an Armenian restaurant, were both ahead of their time. And the gray, wet winters were difficult for people accustomed to the balmy eastern Mediterranean climate. So Mark and Armen packed up and headed to Eastern Washington, searching for new opportunities and a climate more to their liking. On the far side of the Cascade Mountains they found a valley carpeted with fruit orchards. They were struck by its resemblance to the old country with the dry, rolling hills and an abundance of water and sunshine. It seemed a perfect fit. They purchased an apple farm in the city of Cashmere which they named “Liberty Orchards” in honor of their new home. Mark and Armen were always looking for ways to use excess apples from their orchard. In 1918, they came up with a fresh idea... why not use apples to make Locoum, the popular near eastern candy they had loved as children? After much