Honeybear Brands has acquired two separate facilities in Pateros, WA, the purchase of the Big River cherry facility will bolster the Honeybear northern Washington operations by providing additional supply and production capabilities.

As a company, Honeybear Brands has strategically prioritized a diversity of growing regions and supply, as a key component to their solution-based flexibility and consistency for their retailer partners. Don Roper, vice president of Honeybear Marketing said, “similarly, these new additions, find alignment with Honeybear’s commitment to sustainability and stewardship, as we can leverage added volume with greater regional proximity.”

The new cherry operation comes equipped with an industry-leading UNITEC sizer, allowing for automated sizing and defect sorting. Jim Divis, general manager of Honeybear Brands, said “We are eager to provide our retail partners with consistent finished packs of the highest quality fruit available.”

With the flexibility to select from a variety of pack types, such as volume fill, pouch bags and clam shells, the Honeybear retail and export partners can be confident in their consistent delivery of high-quality products. The timing of this acquisition is optimal, as it coincides with the 2023 cherry season and the increased consumer demand for cherries.

Regarding this year’s cherry crop, Roper said, “while behind a typical start date, the Northwest cherry outlook is good with promotable volume in July and into August.” Roper estimated, Honeybear’s Dark Sweets will start up mid-June, with volume ramping up within a week. Roper added, “Rainiers will get going a week later, say June 23-24, giving them a late July timeline.”

While Mother Nature can always throw a curve, this year’s NW Cherry crop is up 50 percent over last year, at 19.9 million boxes (via NW Cherry Growers), giving retailers and consumers more opportunity to enjoy the many benefits of northwest cherries. “Right now, Central Washington is seeing those ideal growing conditions with warm 80-degree days, and those cool nights that cherries crave.”

Honeybear’s two new Washington facilities, located adjacent to each other in Pateros, add an increased scale to Honeybear’s apple and cherry production, anchored by its state-of-the-art packing facility in Brewster, Washington with orchards located in an ideal growing region of northern Washington, Honeybear said it will continue to provide its retail partners with the highest quality apples and cherries in the state of Washington.

This announcement comes on the heels of Honeybear’s further expansion in the Midwest, as the company has partnered with Michigan-based Elite Apple Co. The privately held, grower-owned Elite Apple Co. will join forces with Honeybear Brands to market its apple varieties with the retailer in mind.