The 2023 Washington Cherry Harvest: A Year Like No Other
As we close the chapter on another cherry season here at Chukar Headquarters, we're eager to peel back the curtain and share some intriguing insights and facts about this year's unique harvest.
Unprecedented Harvest Schedule
"It's been a really weird season," remarked Northwest Cherries Marketing Specialist Karley Lange in the Pacific Northwest AG Network. This year's cherry season saw most of its crop harvested in a 25-day window, contrasting with typical seasons where 80% of the crop comes off the tree in about 40 days and the season lasts about 90 days total. This year's unusual harvest timeline had its own challenges, especially with California also putting a considerable amount of fruit on the market.
Photo courtesy of NW Cherries of the Washington State Fruit Commission
Yield Estimates and Comparisons
While initial hopes aimed for 20 million boxes according to B.J. Thurlby, president of Washington State Fruit Commission, in the Seattle Times earlier this year, the Washington State season closed around 17.2 million according to PNWAG—a notable increase from the 13.3 million boxes in 2022. Despite the hiccups, this is a year of growth for the Northwest cherry industry. In addition to the nation’s most famous and delicious sweet cherries, the Northwest states are growing more organic cherries to meet consumer demand. This is good news for health-conscious consumers and fans of our award-winning Organic Rainier Cherries!
In 2023, Chukar Cherries processed nearly 500,000 lbs of cherries at our state-of-the-art Prosser facility, where we sort, wash, de-stem, and pit fresh cherries before slowly drying them in warm air tunnels or transforming them into jarred specialities.
Spring Delays, Blossom Booms
A colder spring led to a delayed harvest, pushing the starting bell to
mid-June. Nonetheless, when the cherries finally did bloom, it was a sight to behold. Trees
were laden with blossoms, promising a bountiful harvest despite the late start.
Bees are particularly vital during a shorter pollination period. Grower's require "a certain number of foragers in the trees moving pollen between flowers in a defined window of time. With a very cold spring that window of time for bees to move pollen between flowers is even shorter, says Brandon Hopkins of WSU Tree Fruit. This year's successful pollination phase resulted in a robust cherry crop, affirming how crucial these little workers are to the industry.
Chukar Cherries: At the Heart of the Harvest
Nestled in Washington's famous fruit lands, Chukar
Cherries is located in an ideal location to source premium fruit. We ask growers to let the
cherries ripen on the branch a little longer than normal to ensure
ripening and sweetness as the cherries' inner sugars build. The
natural sugar eventually increases to a point where it starts to preserve the fruit
itself.
Our "tree-to-table" approach ensures maximum freshness, taste, and nutritional value. Transforming local cherries into authentic Northwest goodies and gifts has been Chukar's specialty since the company launched on the Alexander-Auld orchard in central Washington’s fruit lands in 1988.
Sustainability at Its Core
Beyond the harvest, we continue to operate a zero-waste cherry processing line. All cherry pits, culls, and stems are composted locally, producing nutrient-rich compost needed for additional agricultural production.
A Final Word
As we close the chapter on the 2023 cherry season, it's gratifying to see our efforts come full circle. Those very cherries you've been reading about will be the stars of our delicious products—from chocolate-covered cherries to cherry pie fillings—that so many of you have come to love and enjoy.
Chukar Cherries Production leaders on the final week of 2023 fresh cherry processing!
