Yakima, Wash.-based Superfresh Growers will expand its sweet cherry production by 30% this summer with the addition of a new packing line.
“Freshness and speed to consumers is the key to success in the cherry category,” Robert Kershaw, CEO of Superfresh Growers, said in a news release. “It is magical when an investment improves the experience of all stakeholders in the supply chain. Freshness is the intersection that growers, retailers, and consumers all want. Everyone wants cherries fresh off the tree.”
Superfresh Growers was the largest and latest U.S. cherry grower and packer during the 2022 season, according to the release. The marketer’s last shipments, from high-altitude orchards, last year extended beyond the Labor Day holiday into September, the release said.
“We expect a big year on cherries in 2023,” Conner O’Malley, president of sales, said in the release. “Our bounce-back volume from 2022 should be fantastic. Our season will be longer than ever, again extending through August. We are excited for the quality this new line will provide, and for the additional capacity we will deliver to the market.”
Domex Superfresh Growers plans to have the facility integrated and running well ahead of the arrival of the 2023 Pacific Northwest cherry crop, which is typically late May, the release said.
The new optical sorter line will handle dark sweet and rainier cherries, the release said.
