VANCOUVER, B.C. – The Oppenheimer Group’s Pacific Northwest cherry program has nearly doubled in volume thanks to two premier Oregon cherry growers.
Orchard View Farms of The Dalles, Ore., and Blue Mountain Growers of Milton-Freewater, Ore. round out Oppenheimer’s 2012 Northwest cherry program.
“The volume increase will benefit both domestic and export markets,” said David Nelley, who runs Oppenheimer’s cherry, apple and pear marketing. “Blue Mountain Growers harvest early and Orchard View Farms continues as a late supplier, so our customers can get consistent volumes of cherries from mid June through to mid August.”
Production is off to an excellent start, according to Nelley.
“May was warm,” he said. “Right through to early June when we had a little rain, we’ve experienced ideal weather conditions. Last week’s rain made everyone a little nervous, but we seem to have emerged just fine.”
The growers produce in different geographic regions from the bulk of the Northwest cherry crop, each with its own diverse micro-climate that provides diversity to a retailer’s cherry program. Orchard View’s orchards are located further south than most cherry growers’, allowing for an extended growing season, Nelley said.
“Orchard View’s unique conditions lead to larger, sweeter cherries that are well-suited for our export markets,” he said, explaining that last year the grower exported over 40 percent of the crop, significantly higher than the Northwest industry average.
“The professionalism and commitment of the Bailey family who own or manage more than 70 percent of the fruit they pack shines through in all aspects of the operation, from growing through to harvest and packing — making Orchard View Farms’ cherries among the most highly sought-after fruit grown in the Pacific Northwest,” Nelley said.
The Orchard View program is complemented by growing volumes from Blue Mountain Growers, sold in the well-established Blue Goose label.
In addition to producing earlier, newer varieties with longer shelf life — like Bentons — Blue Mountain Growers is characterized by small, intensively farmed orchards, designed to achieve excellent control over harvest and quality. The cooperative, which is under new management, will be putting its enhanced packing line to work for the first time this year.
“We’ve added a third Red Pearl sizer, which will increase our capacity by 50 percent to 15 tons per hour,” said Justin Brunson, who became Blue Mountain’s CEO last July. “We’ve also brought in two new sorting tables, which means about 24 extra hands will be sorting and checking the quality of the fruit. This improves our efficiency and assures only the absolute best cherries get into the box.”
Food safety and good agriculture practices have also been a focus as Blue Mountain prepared for the coming season.
“We’re very excited about this year, and the future,” Brunson said. “With new partnerships, like the one we have forged with Oppenheimer, we are well-positioned to bring top quality cherries to market and help our customers drive sales.”
Oppenheimer’s cherry program continues into the fall and winter with Southern Hemisphere supplies out of Argentina and Chile.
www.oppyproduce.com, www.bluemountaingrowers.com, www.orchardviewfarms.com
Source: The Oppenheimer Group
