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