Cherry harvest for Domex Superfresh Growers will start around the first week of June, and gradually ramp up with good volume in mid-June, said Catherine Gipe-Stewart, communications manager for the Yakima, Wash.-based company.
“We will have good momentum by late June, in time for July Fourth ads,” she said.
“July volume should be healthy, so we are recommending two or three good ads, followed by a couple more ads in August. We will continue harvest until late August when we finish picking our higher elevation orchards.”
Gipe-Stewart said expected peak fruit size will be about 10 to 10.5 row. Superfresh Growers will also have opportunities for jumbo cherries in its Super Cherry packaging.
Superfresh Growers has organic cherries, she said, and the volume of organic fruit will increase in coming years.
The company has updated its organic cherry retail look to show off its new purple packaging, Gipe-Stewart said.
“The bright pops of color create eye-catching grocery displays, and the purple signifies to consumers that these products are organic,” she said.
While labor is a concern for the entire industry, Gipe-Stewart said Superfresh Growers has a team that plans the firm’s domestic and H-2A labor through the year.
“We are anticipating having enough labor, but that doesn’t come without challenges expected in the second season of a pandemic,” she said.
“COVID-19 regulations are forever changing, and we will continue to navigate the regulations. We installed protective barriers and have taken all the same COVID-19 safety precautions and applied them across all commodities, including cherries. Last year we were learning as we went. This year we have a year of experience under our belts and will be able to execute the season with more knowledge and experience.”
