Northwest Cherries business updates
Chelan Fresh Orondo Ruby up 30%
Chelan Fresh expects to begin its cherry harvest by about June 7 and have volume by June 15-20, said Mac Riggan, director of marketing for Chelan Fresh, Chelan, Wash.
The company expects to be up 10% to 15% for 2017, Riggan said, with volume of close to 4 million cartons, up from 3.6 million boxes a year ago.
Chelan Fresh will have about 275,000 boxes of rainiers, with the balance dark sweets, Riggan said.
The firm’s proprietary Orondo Ruby cherry will be available July 20. Expected volume of Orondo Ruby is about 40,000 boxes, up from about 30,000 boxes last year.
The variety is supported by point-of-sale materials and often in-store demonstrations for new customers.
“For a $4.99 per pound (variety) you have to support with demonstrations or it will be a high-priced mystery.”
Riggan said the firm expects to have about 50,000 boxes of organic cherries.
Chelan Fresh will again the offer the convenience-oriented stemless Cup O’ Cherries, with an expected availability of July 4-20. The 16-ounce half dry pint pack, with eight ounces of cherries (about 23), primarily features skeena cherries since that variety tends to release the stems the best and will stay firm.
The Cup O’ Cherries pack, now in its fourth season, is targeted for boutique or high-end stores such as Starbucks in downtown areas with good foot traffic, Riggan said.
This season there is a customer in China that has ordered the pack, and Riggan said Chelan Fresh, to save shipping costs, will send stemless cherries to China in a bulk pack and provide the cups in a separate box for repacking the fruit.
CMI Orchards adds Rainier line
A good-sized crop with fantastic eating characteristics is expected for CMI Orchards in Wenatchee, Wash., said Bob Mast, president.
“Last year yielded the largest percent of cherries in the 10.5-row size and larger cherries that we ever had,” Mast said.
The company, with four cherry packing facilities, has about 10% of the Northwest red cherry volume, and a little higher percentage on Rainiers, Mast said.
For 2017, Columbia Fruit Packers will add a Rainier cherry line for CMI-marketed cherries, Mast said.
CMI Orchards packs conventional cherries in its Nature’s Candy label and also offers organic red cherry and Rainier varieties in the Daisy Girl organic label.The company offers flexible packing options, including multiple options for pouch bags and clamshell packs.
Automated packing processes allow a range of pouch bag sizes ranging from 6 ounces to 2.25 pounds, he said.
Mast said CMI offers a special Signature Select program in export markets, offering high-graphic cartons featuring an artist’s painting of the Wenatchee area growing region.
Domex anticipates ample volumes
With volume accounting for 10% to 15% of the total Northwest supply, Domex Superfresh Growers expects cherry harvest to begin around June 9-11, said Mike Preacher, director of marketing and customer relations for Domex Superfresh Growers, Yakima, Wash.
With fruit sourced from all seven Northwest growing districts, the company expects bigger volume in 2017 compared with 2016, he said.
Domex Superfresh Growers is investing in the coral variety — traditionally a California variety — in Northwest orchards, he said.
The early to mid-season variety, with large fruit and higher yields, is harvested on the heels of the chelan and bing varieties.
Some growers are moving away from bings because of lower yields compared to newer varieties, Preacher said.
The firm will offer significant volume of organic cherries, with availability expected from early June to the end of June.
Domex Superfresh Growers, with two cherry packinghouses and several cherry lines, will again promote the #eatcherries social media contest with a $2,000 cash prize.
The campaign generated 20 million social media impressions last year, a new record, said Tyler Weinbender, media manager for Domex Superfresh Growers.
Holtzinger offers organic cherries
Handling organic cherries from independent growers, Yakima, Wash.-based Holtzinger Fruit Co. expects to handle about 250-300 tons in 2017, said Carol Monholland, field staff manager for the company.
Harvest of organic cherries will begin the first week of June.
Northern Fruit plans for solid season
Northern Fruit Co., Wenatchee, Wash., expects to market 400,000 boxes of cherries, said Bill Knight, domestic sales manager.
About half of the fruit is company-owned, he said. The company expects a strong growing season with more normal timing this year.
The company’s cherry orchards go from the southern border of Washington to the Brewster region. First harvest is anticipated about June 15, Knight said.
Oppy sees strong Oregon crop
A mid-June start is expected for Oregon’s Orchard View Farms, said David Nelley, vice president of categories for The Oppenheimer Group, Vancouver, British Columbia.
The season is expected to continue until about Aug. 10, Nelley said.
Earliest fruit will come from eastern Oregon’s Milton Freewater region and then expand to orchards near The Dalles in the Hood River region.
Nelley said the Orchard View operation may ship about 1 million boxes and will be marketed by Oppenheimer.
Nelley said 80% of the cherries from Orchard View Farms are farmed by in-house growers.
“What that means is that they can control as many variables as they possibly can,” Nelley said.
Oppenheimer will also handle the U.S. marketing of cherries from BC Tree Fruits, Kelowna, British Columbia. Cherries from BC Tree Fruits are expected to start in late June and continue into early August, he said.
Oneonta expects July promotions
Wenatchee-based Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers is preparing for aggressive ads for cherry promotions for July, said Bruce Turner, national salesman for the company.
Turner said he is optimistic that aggressive f.o.b. pricing for the second week in July will allow retailers to expand a profitable cherry selling season.
“The key thing is getting real estate and getting them sold through,” he said.
The company has been planting more cherries in the past few years, focusing on having a steady supply of fruit throughout the season.
Rainier Fruit’s volumes up
Selah, Wash.-based Rainier Fruit Co. expects volume increases for dark sweet cherries and Rainier cherries, said Randy Abhold, vice president of sales and marketing for Rainier Fruit, Selah, Wash. Harvest is expected to begin around June 6-10 with shipments expected through July and into August.
Within dark sweet varieties, Rainier Fruit has some of the largest volumes of chelan cherries in the early part of the deal, and that variety should see a volume gain, Abhold said.
Production of bing cherries is also expected higher for Rainier, he said, and the company expects good production for the skeena variety. The company also offers organic cherries.
“This is shaping up like a crop to look forward to,” Abhold said.
The company has nearly 15% of the Northwest sweet cherry volume, Abhold said. Rainier is entering the second year of using its new cherry line, which gives the company added capacity.
Stemilt’s Skylar Rae on the rise
June 12 is the estimated start date for Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt Growers, said Brianna Shales, communications manager for the company.
The company accounts for about 10% to 12% of total Northwest cherry volume, or about 2.5 million boxes, according to Shales.
Stemilt is marketing its exclusive Skylar Rae cherry as the “sweetest cherry you will ever eat,” Shales said.
“It’s been on the market for two years, and this year is the first for significant volume.”
The very sweet, firm variety, resembling a rainier, is the third stock-keeping unit in the cherry category.
“It is the sweetest cherry we handle and the firmest cherry, two things that don’t normally coincide,” she said.
By 2020, Shales said the Skylar Rae will rival tonnage of Stemilt’s Rainier volume.
Stemilt in July will offer cherries in its Kyle’s Pick label, a higher end pack with select varieties with premium size, firmness and quality standards.
“The package helps retailers stand out from the competition in the market,” she said.
