Primavera to begin 34th season of marketing California cherries

Primavera Marketing is set to start its 34th season of selling California cherries, says Rich Sambado, president and owner at Primavera Marketing, Linden, Calif.

The company generally starts cherry marketing in late April and continues through mid-June, he said. This year’s timetable is a little later. Cherry harvest is tracking two to three weeks later than last year and perhaps 10 to 12 days later than what the industry considers normal, he said.

There will be perhaps a “handful” of California cherries marketed in late April this year, he said. Harvest volume will pick up around May 17 and build momentum through May 25.

Peak volume from California may kick in from about May 26 through June 15, he said. Harvest is expected to wrap up by June 20.

With this timing of harvest, Sambado is hopeful for a minimal amount of overlap with the Northwest cherry deal.

Crop expectations

This year, the month of March was historically cold for cherry growers, while last year saw record-warm temperatures. Last year’s California cherry crop of 5.3 million cartons was very light. Speaking in late March, Sambado said it was too early to make a prediction for California cherry volume this year.

Still, the industry believes cherry volume will be better than last year’s crop of 5.3 million cartons. With the erratic bloom and cold temperatures in March, he said, crop potential likely is closer to 7 million to 8 million cartons this year.

Retail support needed after holiday

Retail support is a given for Memorial Day, he said, but the state may not have all the volume to meet retail demand for that holiday. The biggest volume days for California cherries may be just beyond the Memorial Day pull from May 18-25.

“We will do our best to satisfy that demand, but we need [retailer] support in the latter part of May and the first two to three weeks of June," Sambado said.

Sambado said Primavera offers both outstanding volume and superior quality, with cherries from the earliest growing districts all the way through to the latest districts.

“Our mission is quality with volume and getting trucks loaded on time,” he said.

The marketer has a range of varieties, including good volumes of bings into mid-June. 

“We’re really proud of our rainier program, and we are hopeful to have a terrific rainier year,” he said.

Common packaging options for cherries include cartons of eight 2-pound pouch bags and 12 2-pound pouch bags. Some club stores also order 1- or 2-pound clamshells in 16-pound cartons.

Overseas demand

Export markets are excited for California cherries, Sambado said. 

“We’re hopeful that the state will ship 20% of the crop to export markets overseas [not including Canada],” he said.