Wenatchee, WA: CMI Orchards sets the stage for summertime cherries with a fresh crop update, with harvest underway! With recent favorable weather, CMI’s latest reports show a promising cherry season ahead boosting the company’s already stellar varietal selection.
Joel Hewitt, CMI’s Domestic Sales and Organics Manager, keeps a vigilant eye on the harvest season in anticipation of this exciting time of year. “The quality is really excellent this year,” explains Hewitt. “In comparison to last year, where our tonnage was affected by complicated weather, we’re expecting a much brighter outcome with excellent quality from the color and condition to exceptional eating experience.”
Hewitt reports that CMI will peak the last week of June through the entire month of July, tapering off at the end of August. The latest crop update shows potential for a 75% harvest increase over 2022, primarily in Red cherries. “These forecasted volumes mean more cherries for all our customers, domestic and export, offering a greater ability to meet the strong demand for Northwest cherries in all the countries we normally ship to,” Hewitt said.
“CMI carries the largest varietal selection of cherries available in the market today,” says Rochelle Bohm, CMI’s Vice President of Marketing. “This, coupled with high-graphic point of sale materials and omnichannel support, means we’re uniquely positioned to not only set retailers up to drive their sales but also capture those impulse purchases that cherries inspire year-over-year.”
Some of CMI’s biggest stars this summer include highly-coveted branded conventional options Strawberry Cherries and Skylar Rae® cherries, as well as the XXL Cherries® and American Dream® programs.
“Skylar Rae® is by far the sweetest cherry you’ll ever eat with a very unusual and much-craved “crunch” when you bite into their sweet flesh,” explains Bohm, “and Strawberry Cherries’ darling freckles with hints of fresh summer strawberries have people waiting for their return every single year.”
CMI’s premier, super-sweet and juicy jumbo-sized cherry program, XXL Cherries proves that bigger is better, while American Dream is a patriotic, feel-good program that gives back as much as it gets, delivering a platform for promotions aligned with key patriotic holidays and BBQ season. Both programs, says Bohm, feature high-graphic, high-impact packaging designs perfectly crafted to capture sales and bring repeat customers back time and time again.
About CMI Orchards:
CMI Orchards is one of Washington State’s largest growers, shippers and packers of premium quality conventional and organic apples, pears, and cherries. Based in Wenatchee, WA, CMI Orchards delivers outstanding fruit across the U.S.A. and exports to over 60 countries worldwide.
