Welcome to this episode of What’s In Store. Summer is finally here!<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">And cherries are the sweet fruit of the season. Hood River Cherry<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Company is a family owned and operated orchard located high in the<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">valley near the base of Mount Hood. The company's high-elevation<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">cherries set them apart from others in the category because they are<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">tree-ripened to perfection. Tree-ripened is easy to say, but it takes<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">a lot of teamwork to be successful. This year the Oregon grower will<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">be offering its Bing, Skeena, Lapin, and Sweetheart varieties.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">The company lets its cherries grow plump and sweet on the tree until<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">the sugar level reaches 21 brix where most cherries are harvested<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">between 15 and 17 brix. Hood River Cherry company ships around the<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">clock, twenty four hours a day, seven days a week to ensure that each<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">super ripe premium cherry makes it from the orchard to the produce<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">shelf with as little transition time as possible. It is important to<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">keep the cherries as close to 32 degrees as possible until they can be<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">displayed in the produce department. The fruit should be delicately<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">handled as they are already ripe upon reaching the retailer. Since<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">the cherries are already ripe, they will decrease the time between<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">visits for consumers and boost turnover in the department.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Retailers can take advantage of the popular fruit this Summer by using<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">in-store sampling and education on the tree-ripened varieties to help<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">market the company's fresh fruit offerings and increase the ring at<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">the register. Secondary displays in the produce aisle as well as<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">cross-merchandizing with the company's jam and preserve line are also<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">ideal opportunities to increasing impulse buying. Packaging options<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">for the cherries are 20lb bulk, 18lb bags and 5kilogram bulk box. This<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">year, Hood River is introducing a QR code on bags for customers that<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">links to the grower's website where consumers can discover the<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">grower's story as well as additional products and resources. The<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">company's first shipments will begin July 15 and will continue until<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">September 1st. Thank you for joining us for this episode of What's In<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Store.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
