Orchard View expects to mark century of cherries with abundant crop

Orchard View Cherries says there’s good reason to be excited about its centennial season.

It’s not just the farm’s 100-year anniversary that’s anticipated. Orchard View says the upcoming season is shaping up to be large in volume and excellent in quality, even if it’s set to begin as much as two weeks later than usual due to chilly early spring weather.
 
“Our flower counts show potential for a very nice crop,” Brenda Thomas, president of Orchard View Cherries, said in a news release. “We are excited that our 100th anniversary season shows so much promise. We expect to begin mid-June, with peak availability June 24 to July 31, prime timing for July 4 promotions.”

Thomas’ great-grandparents established Orchard View in 1923, with the operation becoming specialized in cherries over the years. The Dalles, Ore.-based farm now manages more than 3,500 acres along the Columbia River, with cherries planted in microclimates carefully suited to each variety, according to the release.

The season will begin with chelan, followed by bing, Kordia, Lapin, Regina, Skeena and Sweetheart, an order that Orchard View says is carefully staged to assure the best cherry available at any given time is the one delivered to the market.
 
While honoring the farm’s heritage this season, Orchard View will plant new trees with a focus on the future, featuring such varieties as the Pearl and Royal series, which are newer varieties for Orchard View.
 
Thomas credited the farm’s enduring success to the efforts of the families who have worked alongside her own to bring cherries to the market each year.
 
“Our cherry family includes many in our community who join us as we grow, harvest and pack,” she said in the release. “A lot of expertise and a lot of heart goes into producing what we believe are the world’s best cherries. We are grateful for everyone who contributes, from our neighbors in The Dalles to those who travel to work with us each season, as well as the retailers who stock and promote our brand year in and year out.”

Thomas added that the Orchard View family also extends to marketing partner The Oppenheimer Group, a fresh produce grower, marketer and distributor that relocates key staff to the farm each season.
 
“We are proud to be linked to a grower of Brenda’s stature and discernment,” James Milne, senior vice president of marketing and categories for Oppy, said in the release. “Our team is in the trenches with hers through the intense eight-week harvest period. We have every confidence in the superior quality of the fruit: from the unique terroir of The Dalles to the unparalleled on-orchard expertise to the Unitec Cherry Vision3 sorter in the pack house — Orchard View is perfectly positioned to give our customers the best cherry experience possible.”