RipeLocker celebrates major milestones in the 2024 cherry season
RipeLocker announced significant advancements in its collaboration with Gebbers Farms and Chelan Fresh, successfully enhancing the long-term storage and delivery of high-quality cherries for the 2024 season.
After six years of rigorous trials, RipeLocker has overcome the challenges associated with cherry preservation, optimizing harvest timing and storage techniques. The results are remarkable: cherries harvested in mid-July were delivered to a major national retailer in mid-August, where they passed quality control without exceptions.
“Dropping acid levels, pitting, and brown stems make it difficult to hold cherries long-term. After six years of trials, we finally figured out the right techniques,” said George Lobisser, CEO and co-founder of RipeLocker. “I give credit to our collaboration between Johnny Gebbers of Gebbers Farms and our Director of Fruit Sciences Brendon Anthony, Ph.D. They worked closely together to revise harvesting practices and RipeLocker storage protocols to successfully hold a cherry.”
In addition to the cherries delivered in mid-August, a few RipeLockers were used to store cherries until mid-September, perfectly timed for the Chinese Moon Festival. Tom Riggan, CEO of Chelan Fresh, sampled these cherries and declared, “These cherries would have easily passed QC by our receivers. The Chinese market would have especially valued the green stems.”
RipeLocker is excited about next season as the national retailer plans to expand on what we did this season but with multiple varieties.
RipeLocker’s technology has already proven effective for other perishables such as blueberries, roses and fresh hops and now stands as a game-changer for holding cherries. “Another opportunity we see is the ability for growers to harvest before climatic events like excessive heat, and store before demand,” said Lobisser. This breakthrough not only extends the cherry season, but also enhances market opportunities for growers, packers, shippers and retailers alike.
