Stemilt focuses on cherry size, flavor

Stemilt Growers expects higher cherry volume than last year and its normal sizing, which it describes as larger than the industry average.

Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt said in a news release that cherries with larger size have higher sugar content, a finding the company attributed to a Washington State University study that looked into that correlation.

“It’s a fact that bigger is better when it comes to cherries,” Roger Pepperl, marketing director at Stemilt, said in the release. “We emphasize that point to our retailers time and time again — bigger cherries make for better sales.”

Brianna Shales, communications manager for Stemilt, estimated the Washington industry average cherry size as 10.5 row, while Stemilt offers more 10 row and 9.5 row.

“For most shoppers, cherries are an impulse purchase,” Pepperl said in the release. “Big displays of high-quality fruit drive the first cherry purchase, and the fruit’s flavor and overall eating experience drives repeat purchases.

“While they have a short season, cherries are a big dollar generator to the produce department,” Pepperl said, “and retailers who promote around size and flavor are the ones that find greatest success.”

Stemilt recommends its Kyle’s Pick cherries, which feature the biggest fruit in a pack named for fourth-generation grower Kyle Mathison. The sizing standard for that pack is 10 row and larger.

“Stemilt’s Kyle’s Pick cherries are one way to differentiate through size at retail, and July is the key time to promote these,” Pepperl said in the release.

Founder Tom Mathison started working to produce larger cherries in the 1960s, according to the release, and optic sizing and grading technology helps the company continue to pack consistently to that standard.