Lapins, ideal for high elevations, still king at Hood River Cherry Co.
Lapins, ideal for high elevations, still king at Hood River Cherry Co.
Hood River Cherry Co. is committed to producing the finest cherries possible. “Growing cherries at high elevation is difficult,” said President and Owner Brad Fowler. “There’s a lot more to it than just planting trees and waiting for them to grow. But, if you can do it, these are the best-tasting cherries of all.”
The company’s overall cherry production will continue on a growth track for the next seven years as young trees grow and come into bearing. “However, due to an early freeze last November, our 2015 crop will be about the same as our 2014 crop,” Fowler said.
He noted that Lapins are well-suited for high-elevation production.
“In 2014, once again Lapins proved themselves to be the king of late-season, high-elevation cherries,” he explained. “Not only was the Lapin the biggest and highest Brix level cherry we produced, they survived the November freeze unscathed. We realize that Lapins have gotten a bad reputation from plantings at lower elevation, warmer sites. But at high elevation they rock. We will continue to plant more Lapins in the future.
“Due to the unseasonably warm spring, the cherry harvest will begin about 14 days early. Our earliest blocks will begin as early as July 8, and picking will be done by Aug. 10. This will be our earliest harvest ever,” Fowler added.
Although the company exports about 10 percent of its volume to buyers in the Pacific Rim, Fowler said North America gets first crack at product. “To us, the overseas cherry export market is like a giant tornado that each year seems to want to suck up all our crop in one giant swoop. It is tempting. Prices are strong, and airline connections from the Northwest are good,” he observed. “Pacific Rim buyers are hungry for late-season cherries and if they like you, they want it all. However, we have some loyal, dependable, wonderful U.S. and Canadian customers that have come to rely on us. We can’t let them down. For us, they come first.”
Hood River Cherry Co. recently purchased a new cold storage facility that will handle the anticipated volume increases. Fowler said a new packingline will be added in 2017.
