Moonlight, passion make for remarkable cherry season at Stemilt

Moonlight, passion make for remarkable cherry season at Stemilt

May 25, 2015

Each cherry season, Stemilt Growers LLC takes advantage of opportunities to distinguish itself. “Our Kyle’s Pick and Half Mile Closer to the Moon cherry programs continue to be a huge success at retail,” said Director of Marketing Roger Pepperl. “Kyle’s Pick cherries will be available throughout July this year and are based on selecting premium cherries for a pack. We put select, high-quality varieties, largest sizes and dessert flavors into each Kyle’s Pick bag because those are the cherries that the program’s namesake, Kyle Mathison, grows during this time frame on Stemilt Hill in Wenatchee, WA.”

Stemilt’s Half Mile Closer to the Moon program begins in August, the time during which Mathison begins harvest at his Amigos Orchards, situated between 2,500 and 3,200 feet above sea level — literally a half mile closer to the moon. “Kyle’s passion and story is so special, and this program allows us to help retailers tell that to consumers,” Pepperl said.

Stemilt will have a limited release of the Skylar Rae cherry, just now coming into production. “It will be available in many major markets in the U.S. and Canada, but in a small way with a short availability window,” Pepper commented. Rapid growth is anticipated for the variety’s future.

Skylar Rae is a stand-out due to its firmness and sugars. “It’s the sweetest cherry you’ll ever eat with Brix levels between 23-25,” he noted. “It’s also the firmest cherry we handle. Sugars and firmness usually don’t go hand-in-hand. So that makes Skylar Rae exceptional. It’s a dessert fruit with a bit of a crunch factor.”

Skylar Rae cherries will be packed in a one-pound dome-shaped clamshell that helps bring the cherries up off the display area, capturing the eye.

The company has invested in two new 20-lane lines equipped with electronic sizing and defect sorting technology. “Additionally, we trialed engineering jet coolers last year for use in cooling cherries prior to shipment and — after great success — will use these exclusively,” Pepperl said. “They are designed to cool cherries consistently and rapidly during the tunneling process.”

Stemilt grows and markets a full manifest of cherries, and the harvest — which began in late May — is expected to wrap up around Aug. 20.