With a larger California cherry crop this year, the Flavor Tree Fruit Co. LLC in Hanford, CA, can get a bit more creative with its offerings and plans to reintroduce its popular “Cherry Bomb” pack.

Maurice Cameron, global sales manager for Flavor Tree.Global Sales Manager Maurice Cameron said the pack, marketed under that label, is a one-pound clamshell that uses a proprietary variety to produces a large fruit with high Brix, high sugar and high maturity. The “Cherry Bomb” is presented stemless, and is packed in a limited volume. The first ones are expected to hit the market around May 15 as the California cherry deal approaches its peak. “We divvy it out to our better customers as a thank you,” Cameron said. “It’s a very fun item that flies off the shelf. We are very excited to bring it back this year. We haven’t had it for several years.”

Flavor Tree hangs its hat on proprietary varieties with about half of its production coming from those varieties. Sequoia and Yosemite are its main two offerings. It has another yet-to-be-named variety that should begin to make a splash this year. Last year’s very light crop — only about 3 million cartons of California cherries industrywide — delayed its widespread release. “We had a very light crop last year of only about 200 to 500 cartons,” said Cameron. “We expect to take a closer look at it this year.”

But he said the Bing cherry also continues to be a very popular California variety with a lot of cache with consumers. He tends to speak about cherries in the same way others might talk about wine. “It’s hard to compare one variety to another. There are lots of factors that go into creating a good cherry. There are a lot of good varieties out there,” he said. “The Bing is a nice cherry. There are other varieties that are larger but the Bing eats very well. It has a great taste.”

Like the other up-to-date packers in California, Flavor Tree uses an electronic optical sizer on its packingline. “We have been 100 percent optical for a number of years,” said the company’s top sales guy. “I believe we were the first company to go 100 percent optical.”

This year the firm is expanding its packaging options by offering a pouch package for its organic cherries. Cameron said the pouch package has taken hold in the cherry industry as it is a “beautiful canvas to convey a nice message.” He added that the clear packaging also shows off the fruit very well.