It was too early to know for sure, but as of the beginning of April, Grower Direct Marketing LLC in Stockton, CA, exclusive sales agent for O-G Packing Co., was hoping for “a full, promotable crop” of Bing cherries out of the Linden-Lodi area in the northern San Joaquin Valley of California, according to Jim Hanson, managing partner of Grower Direct.

“From all indications at this point, it looks like a nice full crop,” he said April 1. “I don’t think anybody is frowning on the Bing crop. They are probably pretty encouraged by what they have seen so far. At least we are.”

That contrasts with “what we are going to see between Fresno and Arvin,” where the early cherry varieties — Brooks, Tulares and Corals — were showing spotty to light sets in some areas and moderate to good sets in other areas. “Generally speaking it is not a full crop by southern valley standards,” and it is “considerably less than we experienced last year.”

The crop in the south valley is, however, significantly earlier than normal.

“Our own position is that we feel fairly comfortable” with early promotions, starting as early as May 10 through 20, he said. “That is probably going to be a pretty good ad pull period.”

Hanson said he expects peak production between May 27 and June 12. “Most of the Bings will harvest in the month of June, it looks like.”

One change for the company this year is that “nearly 100 percent of our production will run across automated Unitec lines,” he said. “We have about 72 lanes of Unitec in operation this year, as opposed to 32 last year,” making it “the largest optic sorter line that exists in California right now.”

O-G Packing initially installed its first Unitec lines for the 2013 season. The technology gives Grower Direct the ability to provide customers with “more consistent color and sizing and a cleaner pack,” Don Walters, a partner in Grower Direct, told The Produce News in an April 2013 interview.

With the size of the crop anticipated this year and the capacity of the line, “we would anticipate nearly all of our products will run across the fully automated line,” Walters said.

Grower Direct handles cherries from all California growing districts from Arvin in the south to Stockton in the north. All of the cherries are brought to the O-G facility for packing.

The company’s early cherry varieties in the southern districts consist mainly of Brooks, Tulares and Corals. About two-thirds of the company’s volume comes from the northern district. That consists mostly of Bings along with some Corals and Rainiers.

Corals, a newer variety that is increasing in popularity, are unique in that they grow “all the way from Arvin up through Sacramento,” Hanson said. Because of its desirable attributes, the Coral is replacing “some of the lesser varieties of cherries. Certainly it is quickly replacing the Brooks in the south valley.”