Canadian cherry growers are guardedly optimistic about the 2026 harvest. Echoing growers in the U.S., Erin Carlson, a grower in Summerland, British Columbia, says the province’s cherry crop looks promising, though it’s still early. Carlson farms about 110 acres with her husband, father, brother-in-law, sister and mom.
The province grows about 95% of Canada’s sweet cherries, the vast majority concentrated in the Okanagan Valley, with smaller pockets in the Similkameen Valley, Creston Valley and Kootenays.
“Growers are feeling positive about what’s ahead,” says Sukhpaul Bal, president of the BC Cherry Association. “After last year’s record volume, we’re looking for a more manageable crop.”
The optimism for 2026 stands in stark contrast to the catastrophic freeze that decimated the 2024 crop, where temperatures plunged to minus 22°F and wiped out more than 90% of the province’s fruit buds.
The BC Cherry Association expects the peak harvest to run from mid-July through August. Carlson says that there has been some frost this spring, with temperatures dipping into the mid-20s°F (or around minus 4°C to minus 5°C). But most growers factor frost damage into early pruning decisions, she notes.
“We prune for frost because we live in a place where it’s more likely than not that you’re going to get at least some frost each year,” Carlson says. “Obviously, we do everything we can to prevent it, but we also make sure that we leave as much fruit as possible and hope that any frost that occurs provides some natural thinning.”
Carlson says her family’s orchards, some of which overlook the picturesque Okanagan Lake, came out unscathed due to the lake’s microclimate.
“The orchards where we grow our early varieties are looking beautiful. Our acreage overlooking Okanagan Lake has had no damage and we expect a strong crop,” she says. “There have been other places where trees were in full bloom and received some frost, but the picture is still positive. I think BC growers are still optimistic that there’s going to be a really nicely balanced crop out there.”
From Summerland to Seoul: Exporting a Premium Crop
Carlson says growers have continued to plant more cherry acres as Canada has unlocked export opportunities in China, Japan and South Korea. British Columbia’s Ministry of Agriculture reports that in 2015, growers farmed about 3,757 acres of cherries and nearly doubled that figure in 2025.
“During that time over the last decade, we have seen our acreage increase to almost 7,000 acres planted, which is significant,” Carlson says. “The majority of that is represented by three or four larger growers that now grow over 1,000 acres each.”
Carlson says the investment in cherries is significant and takes up to four years to crop on a planted tree. She says her family looks to those later-season varieties, which adds to the risk but also has its rewards.
“Although some people are growing early varieties, most are trying to push their cherry harvest as late as they possibly can, which is another piece of the risk that Canadian cherry growers are taking on,” she says. “Seventy-five percent of my family’s crop comes off in August. That’s done purposefully, but it’s also really hard to do if you want to do it well and have a stem left and make good money at the end of the season.”
Carlson says British Columbia growers ship cherries into the U.S. as well as across Canada and around the world. She says the growers really look to that larger export-style cherry.
“We’re working really hard to try and put a good quality export style cherry into the Canadian market, which is now something we can do because of that 7,000-acre potential volume,” she says.
Carlson also says there is a symbiotic relationship between Washington, Oregon and California growers and the British Columbia cherry industry.
“2026 is shaping up to be a balanced, less-compressed season through the PNW [Pacific Northwest],” she says. “We expect to find market synergies and reduce overlap with growers and shippers from Washington state. Hopefully, everyone will be able to receive good returns and keep the price of cherries stable throughout the season.”
Seeking the Homegrown Advantage this July
Carlson says last year’s record crop in British Columbia was not even at the maximum of the province’s capabilities and that the industry will likely adapt as more and more trees come into full production.
“We haven’t packed out a full crop,” she says. “Last year we did an amazing job and lots of fruit went into boxes, but there’s potential for even more.”
With the significant increase in acres nearing production, the BC Cherry Association looks to once again promote the strength of its industry. This year, the association will launch its “Flip for Canadian Cherries” campaign for Canadian Cherry Month, which runs July 15 to Aug. 15. Bal says the theme is a literal call to action for consumers to flip the bag to ensure they are buying domestic fruit.
“We hope to make sure Canadian consumers get to exercise their right to enjoy homegrown cherries first,” Bal says.
And Carlson echoes this by saying that growers see quality as the key to strong grower returns and the future of the industry.
“There will be a market for the good quality fruit and that has always been the objective of our farm and of most of the farms that are represented by the BC Cherry Association,” she says. “The goal is to produce the best quality cherry we can so that people will keep coming back for it.”
