Reduced weather events will translate to an increase in cherry tonnage for Stemilt Growers LLC, located in Wenatchee, WA. “Weather has been very favorable in Washington both pre- and post-bloom,” Communications Manager Brianna Shales told The Produce News. “We are anticipating a nice crop of cherries starting in early June.”

Shales said the company expects to pick and pack 3.4 million cartons of Washington cherries this season. “Of course, most of the volume comes from dark sweet cherries, with Rainiers and organics making up a small portion of the crop,” she explained. “The crop is similar in size to 2012, with more Rainiers and organics, and running about three days behind last year. The crop looks very good on the trees, and we expect great sizing and quality as long as the weather continues to be positive.”

Cherry production will ramp up the first week of June, with peak shipments occurring from July 14-21. Shales said Stemilt will have promotable volumes for the July 4 holiday. “Stemilt will continue harvesting cherries until the last of our high-elevation cherries are picked, sometime in late August and early September,” she added.

Last season, Stemilt introduced its new premium cherry program, Kyle’s Pick. Shales said the program was an overwhelming success at retail. “By reserving the best cherries for these bags, we’re able to help retailers promote size and flavor during the peak of cherry season to delight consumers and drive repeat purchases. Kyle’s Pick will be back this season. We’ll start packing in this bag in early July.”

The packing of premium product continues into August as Stemilt transitions from Kyle’s Pick to high-altitude cherries marketed under the brand, “Half Mile Closer to the Moon.”

“We are excited to bring Moon cherries back for another season,” Shales went on to say. “This product helps share a truly unique story with consumers and the passion of fourth-generation Stemilt grower Kyle Mathison. The cherries in these bags come from high-altitude orchards, located literally a half-mile above sea level at 2,500 to 3,200 feet. Largest size, dessert flavors, premium varieties — it’s all wrapped up in our Moon bag to help deliver a ‘grand finale’ to cherry consumers. We also have POS and QR codes to continue the story telling at the point of sale and beyond.”

The company is adding a new cherry packingline at its Euclid Street facility. Last year, Stemilt debuted a 20-lane line equipped with electronic sizing and defect-sorting capabilities. “We were so impressed with the technology that we’ve added another 20-lane line at Euclid Street right next to last year’s addition,” Shales said. “It’s a Unitec line and will help us with our goal of delivering a consistent, high-quality pack of ‘World Famous Cherries’ while reducing manual sorting and labor costs and delivering better size and quality to retail.”

The cherry pouch bags introduced by Stemilt last season have been redesigned this year, providing a larger window through which cherries are visible.

The company continues to grow its fan base for its blog, The Stem. “This platform has been a real positive for us to share with consumers all that they want to know about Stemilt cherries and other fruits — from how they are harvested to how to enjoy them in new ways at home,” Shales said. “We’re also on Instagram now and having fun sharing about our fruits in picture form. Along with Pinterest, Instagram is a real growing social media outlet. Of course, we also continue to join and initiate conversations about fruit on Facebook and Twitter.”

Shales said Jocelyn Gerard has joined the Stemilt staff as its merchandising manager based in Chicago. Gerard will service customers in the Midwest and Southeast regions.