The Packer’s Tom Karst visited May 27 with B.J. Thurlby, president of Northwest Cherries, about the soon-starting cherry season.
Thurlby said the first Northwest cherries likely will be picked over the May 30-31 weekend.
“The crop is smaller than what we’ve been used to in the last five or six years, but it’s still a nice crop,” Thurlby said, noting volume expectations in the 19 million to 20 million carton range. The crop will feature plenty of larger fruit, and quality is expected excellent.
“I think that the retailers and the consumers are going to be happy with the offerings we have,” he said.
Export prospects are positive, he said, including much of Asia.
The labor supply appears adequate for the cherry harvest at this point, though growers have had to put in place extra precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Thurlby talked about how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed both domestic ad export marketing efforts.
While consumers may be making less grocery shopping trips, big cherry displays will give retailers a chance to build momentum, he said
“I really felt like over the last two months, the dialogue has changed and (retailers) are much more positive about items like raspberries and strawberries, and now cherries,” Thurlby said. “That’s a good thing for our growers, and hopefully it’s a great thing for the market.”
Peak promotable volume of Northwest cherries is anticipated from mid-June to late July, with volume starting to drop off after that.
