<p><strong>Yakima, WA</strong><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Rainier Fruit Company is preparing for soaring July temperatures. Warm temperatures tend to take a toll on cherries, so harvest takes place early in the day when it’s cooler and the trees are less stressed. To buffer against high temperatures in the upper 90’s, Rainier recently completed construction on its 12th hydro-cooler for use in one of 22 orchards harvesting cherries this summer.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The portable fleet of hydro-coolers migrates with the cherry harvest as it progresses from the south to north during the harvest season and reduces the internal temperature of cherries upwards of 20 degrees during the 3-5 minute pass through the chamber. After completing this step, cherries are loaded onto refrigerated trucks for their trip to the packing facility where they are either cooled again or moved into wind chambers with temperatures near 32 degrees to cool fruit for packing, or both.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Rainier maintains a strong cold chain management program. Suzanne Wolter, Director of Marketing, states, “We believe our responsibility extends beyond passing arrival inspection at our customers’ warehouse. We want the customer who purchases our fruit to have an exceptional eating experience after storing it in their own refrigerator for a couple of days.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Rainier offers tips to reduce shrink and enhance consumer satisfaction that include handling cherries with care, and keeping cherries cool, dry, and refrigerated.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.rainierfruit.com/" target="_new"> Rainier Fruit Company </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
