Big cherries are on tap this season for Stemilt Growers.
“Bigger cherries are appealing, sweeter and help drive consumers to indulge in cherries,” Brianna Shales, senior marketing manager for Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt Growers, said in a news release. “Stemilt has long been ‘Home of the Big Cherry’ with advanced pruning strategies in place to produce large cherries,” she said.
Stemilt’s cherry programs this year is expected to show peak sizes in the 9- to 9.5-row range, she said.
The cherry season is underway in California, and Washington cherry harvest is projected to begin in early June and carry into August.
While frost caused a reduction in the potential Washington cherry crop, Shales said retailers should focus on the larger fruit size. A smaller crop load on the trees, generally leads to larger fruit, according to the release.
She encouraged retailers to use Stemilt’s high-graphic displays as well as the company’s digital resources to get consumer’s excited about the arrival of fresh cherries.
“Cherries are and will continue to be an impulse purchase and it is necessary to make this seasonal fruit stand out,” Shales said in the release.
Retailers should display cherries in high-traffic areas and build large, hard-to-miss displays.
“If store trip frequency is down, retailers can remind shoppers about cherry season through digital ads, social media and their online shopping platforms,” she said. “Stemilt has the resources to help retailers with all their digital needs.”
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