Featured Farmer: Ormiston Orchards
If there is one thing Chukar Cherries and Ormiston Orchards have in common it’s the love of Prosser, oh and cherries of course. Our founder, Pam, put roots down in Prosser in the eighties. Ormiston Orchards has deep roots in the Prosser area as well, generations deep. Gary Ormiston has been managing Ormiston Orchards for the better part of 35 years now. Gary’s father, Richard Ormiston started out growing apples and stone fruits on the family land when Gary was young. As Eastern Washington’s agriculture evolved and expanded, so did Ormiston Orchards. Now Gary is passing along the family farming techniques to his two sons.
Gary Ormiston is a second-generation cherry farmer in the Prosser area. With hundreds of acres of fruit trees blanketing his family’s land, Gary looks out at the mature trees and thinks back. He recalls how Rainier cherries were developed just a mere ½ mile from his father’s farm. The development of this distinct yellow cherry took years of research and experimentation by Harold Fogle at the WSU research center. The excitement was palpable when first Rainier cherry trees were available in the Prosser area. Gary’s dad planted some of those Rainiers in 1961 and they sit on the northeast corner of the Ormiston farm to this day.
Gary talks of how Rainiers were first popularly used for canning and maraschino cherries. Their color and delicate nature made them hard to transport without bruising, but their flavor was unmatched. Our founder Pam, fell in love with the distinct flavor and began using them in Chukar products. It has been decades now that we at Chukar have looked to Ormiston for some Rainiers. This hard-working, family-first farm continues to produce the center component of many loved Chukar cherry confection favorites. We look back over the years and thank Gary for the partnership in sharing nature’s goodness with folks across the states.
Ormiston Orchards is located a mere 4.3 miles from our headquarters on Wine Country Road. Gary spends months cultivating the fruit to reach its potential. During the harvest season fruit is picked and transported the few miles where it is destemmed, sorted and dehydrated immediately. The cherries’ transition from tree to specialty gift happens right here in Prosser, WA.
We believe in sourcing locally and Gary hires locally as well. Gary talks about harvest and mentions the crew is often made up of the same network of locals year after year. He says the folks who pick his cherries in the summer are school teachers and other Prosser natives who make the annual event part of their routine. Harvest lasts about 4 ½ weeks and fits right into many people’s summertime schedules, June through July.
We at Chukar are proud of the roots we have in Prosser and grateful for all the hands it takes to grow, pick and prepare the fruit used in our handmade gifts and delectable chocolates. Whether you prefer the all-natural dried cherries or the fruit wrapped in artisan chocolate, there’s no question Chukar and Ormiston Orchards have a good thing going when it comes to nature’s goodness.
