Sweet cherries from the U.S. Pacific Coast are produce royalty, sought out each summer by consumers and retailers worldwide. The U.S. cherry industry has responded to these cravings by nearly doubling its shipping season since the 1990s, courtesy of early-season acreage in California and new varieties planted in Washington and Oregon. Here’s a roundup of what growers and distributors had to say about 2016’s seasonal highs and lows and what to expect this year.
Extending the Season
Traditionally, like the fruit itself, the cherry season is short and sweet, lasting about eight weeks. Yet new varieties and plantings have extended the season up to 12 weeks, and sometimes even 16 weeks. This is perhaps the greatest accomplishment for the industry—and its greatest challenge—to maintain both quality and supply.
Consumers must be made aware of the longer season, as most are accustomed to the traditionally small window of opportunity. Steve Lutz, vice president of marketing at CMI Orchards, LLC in Wenatchee, WA, says this is where cooperation between grower-shippers, distributors, and retailers can make a huge difference. Consumers are also attracted to convenience, which is where the upright cherry pouch, packed with about two pounds of fruit and weighed at checkout, has increased sales. Coupled with recent advances in cherry sorting and grading technology to make it easier to guarantee quality, consumers are getting better fruit than ever before.
“We’re constantly adding new equipment,” reveals Wenatchee, WA-based Oneonta Trading Corporation’s marketing director Scott Marboe. “Our Unitec optical graders are amazing in the quality of product we can send to market.”
Weather, of course, is always a year-round concern related to quality: including winter chill hours, temper-atures during bloom, and warding off inclement weather during harvest. Labor concerns are tied to weather, too. If harvest windows are pushed up for the later varieties, seasonal workers may not be available yet. “Labor timing is always an issue during harvest,” notes Byron Borton, Yakima, WA-based Borton & Sons, Inc.’s chief visionary officer.
California: A Challenging Season
Domestically, California cherries are always first to market. Harvest begins in April in Kings, Tulare, and Kern counties with early varieties such as Tulare and Brooks, and is followed by Fresno County, then Hollister, Gilroy, and Morgan Hill. More than half of California’s cherry acreage lies south of Sacramento, in San Joaquin and Stanislaus counties. Chelan and Coral varieties kick off the season here, followed by Bing and Rainier, according to the California Cherry Board.
