Start of cherry season highly anticipated by retailers, consumers

Suppliers can hardly contain their enthusiasm when you talk to them about the arrival of California cherries at retail each spring.

“There’s going to be a lot of excitement when the California crop begins because consumers haven’t seen cherries in several months,” said David Nelley, vice president of categories for The Oppenheimer Group, Vancouver, British Colombia.

“There’s always a lot of excitement in the air for good California cherries,” said Rich Sambado sales manager for Primavera Marketing Inc., Linden, Calif.

“Cherries are one of the last few seasonal items,” he said.

“It’s a big deal,” said Roger Pepperl, marketing director for Stemilt Growers LLC, Wenatchee, Wash., which grows some cherries in California.

“Cherries are a real driver of produce dollars,” he said. “A retailer has to have them.”

Actually, having cherries available year-round would help the category, he said, but just having them seasonally also helps because the seasonality lends itself to promotions.

Cherries can account for 4% of produce category sales or “dramatically more” if they’re on ad, Pepperl said.

“The sales per square foot is huge on cherries,” he added. “A retailer needs those dollars.”

Cherries are a must-have item for retail during the spring and summertime, Nelley said.

“There is no single item in the produce department that moves gross sales as much as cherries do,” he said.

Retailers would do well to make a big display that “announces excitement and summer” at the front of the produce department or even the front of the store, Nelley said.

Cherries are ideal for picnics, as part of a fruit salad or just in a bowl on a summertime table, he said.

California growers are fortunate because they usually get started in late April, and they’re the first to bring the fruit to market, Sambado said.

He agreed that “displays are vitally important,” as are cherry ads.

Extra space devoted to cherries lets shoppers know that fresh, new cherries have arrived and that they’re good quality, he said.

But he cautioned that those displays “can be tricky.”

“You don’t want to break the cold chain,” he said.

Consumers want firm, sweet-tasting cherries, “and they think spring and early summer is the right time for that,” Sambado said.

California cherry growers have a big responsibility, Pepperl said.

Their job is not only to be first to market “but to deliver good cherries that keep people coming back to that category.”

“It’s going to be a long season,” he said. “We don’t want to start it out wrong.”

Going after the early high market can be tempting, he said, but it can kill demand in the long run.

Early cherries can taste bitter and lack sugar or flavor, Pepperl said, hence, picking cherries early “is always a potential problem.”

As a grower, “you have to have good discipline,” he said.

Pepperl, a former supermarket buyer and merchandiser, also had some advice for the retail side.

First, don’t be overly anxious to put cherries on ad.

“Too often, I see people try to advertise too soon,” he said. “They’re paying too much money, there are erratic supplies, and they’re disappointed with the relationship.”

“Take a week to get your supplies going,” he said.

This allows retailers to get their display space established.

“After a week, usually you can get in and start getting involved in promotional pulls,” he said.

It’s a good idea to work with your supplier’s sales staff on the timing of promotions.

“And don’t get overly aggressive on margin because you’ll start making it up on the back end,” Pepperl said.

Finally, think big when it comes to cherry size.

“Size is quality,” he said. “The cheaper the cherry, the smaller the cherry, the less flavor the cherry has.”

“Go for larger sizes, and you’ll get better quality and better consumer acceptance,” Pepperl said.