DESCRIPTION:
An Introduction to U.S. Grown Northwest Delicious Sweet Cherries
Taste the Difference!

The United States is one of the world leaders in fresh sweet cherry production.
75% of those sweet cherries are grown in the northwest region of the U.S. in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Utah and are identified as Northwest Cherries.
Northwestern U.S. farms have been growing sweet cherries for over 100-years.

Sweet, Juicy, Plump, and Delicious, describe Fresh Northwest Cherries!

http://nwcherries.com

The sweet cherry is one of the few fruits that are still truly seasonal. U.S. Northwest Cherry season begins in mid-June and ends in mid-August.

There’s something special about cherries from the Northwest. They are bigger, plumper, juicier and sweeter. It’s no coincidence that Northwest Cherries are the best cherries in the world.

The region is rich in varying natural beauty and a study of geographic diversity. You will find majestic snow-capped mountains, flowering alpine meadows, glacial fields of sheer rock and ice and lush winding river valleys. Cross the rugged volcanic Cascade Mountain range to the east side of the states and you will find an agricultural mecca with the lonely beauty of arid desert terrain that is valued for its rich volcanic soil, the warm sun-filled days and cool nights. Cherries are grown nestled up against hillsides in the shadows of the mountains and in the valleys of irrigated desert terrain. Irrigated with fresh mountain water, this land produces great percentages of a number of America’s crops: apples, wine grapes, hops and cherries to name only a few.

Growing cherries is a science, an art and a gamble. It takes a new tree nearly five years to reach its full production. There are many factors that affect the sweet cherry crop size. But, the weather is often the determining factor: temperature during bloom, weather conditions during pollination and rain at harvest. Growers bring thousand of bees to their orchards for bud pollination each spring. Optimal pollination conditions are crucial.

Growers take the production risks in stride and continue attempting to give consumers around the world their fill of sweet cherries during this short, but “oh so” sweet season. It’s more than a “job”, it’s a lifestyle. They plant, they irrigate, they monitor soil nutrients, they prune, they ward off pests and they heat when it’s cold. They watch over and care for their orchards like they care for their children.

Industry-developed harvesting and packaging techniques have greatly enhanced fruit quality and availability. Northwest Cherry harvest begins in early June and continues through August, depending upon the growing area. Northwest Cherries are handpicked from the tree when they have reached optimal maturity. Picked in the cooler morning hours, filled buckets of sweet cherries are carefully transferred to bins and quickly moved by trucks to local packing houses. Because keeping the picked fruit cool is essential to retaining color, flavor and quality, as soon as Northwest Cherries reach the packing houses they are quickly hydro-cooled to lock in the quality and taste. Using ice cold water, the hydro-cooling process rapidly brings the temperature of the fruit down at its center to approximately 35 degrees Fahrenheit. The sweet cherries are then transferred to cold storage areas before being packaged and shipped within 24 hours.

Northwest Cherries travel to the markets of the world in refrigerated trucks, ships and planes. Laced in sturdy corrugated shipping containers fitted with polyethylene liners, these packages become miniature atmosphere chambers, excluding oxygen and delaying further maturing of the fruit assuring both retailer and consumer quality and orchard fresh flavor. Greater control over production can “spread out” harvest peaks increasing availability to consumers around the world.

Northwest Cherries are favorites of children and adults, eaten mostly fresh out of hand, on ice cream, in desserts, salads and in cool sweet drinks. People everywhere enjoy fresh sweet, juicy, plump, and delicious cherries from the Northwest. Northwest Cherries are the most flavorful and colorful gift to the world.


For More Information:
http://nwcherries.com/contact

Northwest Cherries
105 S. 18th Street, Suite 205
Yakima, WA 98901
509.453.4837


Video Produced by Norm Mah Productions for Northwest Cherries