With a larger crop, ideal growing conditions and added operational firepower, CMI Orchards is entering the 2025 cherry season with high expectations and a plan to help retailers capture every opportunity. From early-season promotions to late-summer supply, the company is well-positioned to meet consumer demand with premium quality and seamless execution.

“Barring any unforeseen weather events, this year’s Northwest cherry crop is shaping up to be a strong one,” said Joel Hewitt, vice president of sales at CMI Orchards. “We’re seeing a great fruit set across every growing district — from The Dalles all the way up to the Okanogan Valley.”

Early projections show a 21.4 million box crop for the Northwest — a 9 percent increase over last season. “You can expect big, beautiful cherries and exceptional quality all season long,” Hewitt added.

Supporting that growth, CMI has expanded its infrastructure with two new premier cherry packing facilities — Pacific Coast Cherry Packers and Legendary Fruit Co. (formerly Chelan Fruit). These additions significantly increase packing capacity, improve throughput and bolster the company’s ability to serve both domestic and export markets.

“We’ve made several key investments in our packing and cold chain operations, ensuring our cherries arrive fresh, firm and retail-ready.” said Rochellle Bohm, vice president of marketing. Efficient pre-cooling, automated grading, and closer alignment between harvest and packing are helping extend shelf life and reduce shrink across supply chains.

Harvest is expected to begin in early June, with promotable volumes arriving by mid-month and peaking in July. “This timing dovetails seamlessly with the end of California’s season, ensuring uninterrupted supply across the transition,” Hewitt noted.

Unlike recent years that saw challenges from overlapping harvests or erratic weather, 2025 has so far delivered consistent conditions. “Early spring brought warm, dry weather that helped drive solid pollination and strong fruit set throughout the region,” Hewitt said. “Without late freezes interrupting growth, the crop has progressed smoothly and steadily.” The result: ideal size, firmness and sugar levels.

CMI is bringing a full varietal lineup to market this season, including Dark Sweet, Rainier, Strawberry and the increasingly popular Skylar Rae — a bi-colored cherry with extremely high sugar content and crisp texture. “Skylar Rae continues to gain traction in the premium cherry category,” said Bohm. “It’s unique backstory and limited availability make it an ideal feature for retailers aiming to differentiate and elevate their summer cherry offerings.”

Extending the marketing window remains a key strategy, with CMI encouraging retailers to utilize strong displays, secondary placements and cross-promotions. Cherries, Bohm noted, are an impulse item — visibility is critical. “Feature cherries in high-traffic areas such as store entrances, endcaps and produce center aisles during peak season,” she said.

Sustainability is another major focus. One of CMI’s most exciting developments is a collaboration with The Soil Center, a new regenerative agriculture project aimed at closing the loop between orchard byproducts and soil health. CMI growers have adopted a zero-burn policy meaning all tree wood removed from cherry orchards is no longer burned. Instead, it’s upcycled into wood chips and sent to The Soil Center, where it enters a circular system designed to give back to the land.