Catchweight bags are not going away, but Northwest cherry shippers say there is increasing demand from retailers for fixed-weight packaging this year.
Oppy is expanding its top-seal and clamshell cherry packs, said Jon Bailey, director of the cherry category for The Oppenheimer Group, Vancouver, British Columbia.
“There is interest in clamshells and top-seal because of their fixed weight, which makes it easier for online shopping along with the safety aspect of sealed containers in the age of COVID-19,” Bailey said. “Retailers are asking about these fixed-weight packs this year, more than ever before.”
Chelan Fresh is packing more cherries in fixed-weight packs like top-seal and clamshells, said Mac Riggan, director of marketing for the Chelan, Wash.-based company
CMI Orchards is launching its new XXL cherry line for the marketer’s biggest premium cherries, said George Harter, vice president of marketing for the Wenatchee, Wash.-based company.
“We are expanding our top-seal fiber packaging,” Harter said. “With increased tonnage of niche varieties, most are sold in fixed-weight packages, which is increasing sales compared to bulk fruit. Also, along with new package technology like top-seal, this is also increasing sales compared to bulk each year but can also depend on crop size.”
In terms of sustainability, Chuck Sinks, president of sales and marketing for Yakima, Wash.-based Sage Fruit, said the “top of the list” for Sage Fruit is finding more earth-friendly packaging.
“It’s important to the consumer, and it’s important to us,” Sinks said.
Stemilt Growers packs cherries in catchweight bags, which are considered bulk, and that is still the primary way cherries are marketed at retail, said Brianna Shales, director of marketing for the Wenatchee-based company
“However, top-seal is increasing, especially with premium offerings like Skylar Rae cherries, or to replace clamshells in stores that like UPC formats,” she said. “Top-seal has a sustainability component to it, reducing plastic use over the clamshell by nearly 30%.”
Starr Ranch Growers is moving more into top-seal packaging this season, said Dan Davis, director of business development for the Wenatchee-based firm. “Fixed-weight requests continue to increase and bulk fruit in the cherry world has basically disappeared from a domestic standpoint.”
Overall demand for packaged cherries has increased – either in bagged or clamshell format, said Laurel Van Dam, director of media relations for BC Tree Fruit, Kelowna, British Columbia.
