Hood River Cherry eyeing production growth in coming years
Hood River Cherry eyeing production growth in coming years
Hood River Cherry Co. is continuing on a calculated growth track and expects to see production jumps in 2015 and 2016. “Younger acreage will be coming into production,” said President and Owner Brad Fowler. “We will have a 30-percent jump in production by 2016.”
The company, a family-owned business that specializes in high-elevation cherries, is located in Hood River, OR, and is a grower and marketer of late-season tree-ripe cherries. Fowler said physical conditions at high-elevation orchards give the cherries a rich, sweet flavor not found at lower elevations.
Although the company grows and markets a number of cherry varieties, Fowler said Lapins are a crowning jewel in Hood River’s manifest. “Lapins will be a big part of [our increased production acreage],” he stated. “They’re our rock stars. They’re a consistent producer.”
The physical characteristics of Lapins make them highly desirable for production purposes. “They don’t split in the rain,” Fowler stated. Water, which penetrates a cherry stem and skin, can cause the fruit to crack. Despite this ability to withstand penetration from water, Fowler said, “In some ways, Lapins are very delicate.”
“We’re going to once again have two helicopters on contract with us full time,” he went on to say. By hovering over orchards, the helicopters are an effective tool for blowing water droplets off the developing cherries.
Cherry production will ramp up around July 20 and continue for 30 to 35 days thereafter. Because the fruit is picked in tree-ripe condition, cold chain maintenance is critical. The company transports all its fruit from the field to the packingshed in refrigerated trucks to tighten up on the cold chain.
Some facilities upgrades are expected to be performed in 2015.
Hood River Cherry Co. markets fruit under the “Hood River Cherry Company” label to high-end, upscale smaller chains in the United States. The company does export to Europe and some countries in the Pacific Rim. “Our cherries can only go by air because they are so ripe,” he noted.
