Sugar-Free Dried Cherries for Your Health

Naturally dried sweet cherries were our very first product. The idea for no sugar added cherries came to founder Pam Montgomery in the 1980s on one of her daily walks through her family's cherry orchard, where she noticed that unpicked cherries slowly shriveled and dehydrated on the branch.

After tasting the tasty cherry morsels in her Washington orchard, Pam was determined to learn how to naturally dry sweet cherries without added sugar, preservatives, or oil. Her first experiments in the 1980s took place in her own kitchen. To her delight, her dried cherries were bursting with flavor and natural sweetness.

Despite other industry leaders telling her it could not be done, Pam pioneered drying cherries without added sugar or oil using large scale air tunnels that were custom built for sweet cherries such as Bings and Rainiers. Today we use the same special machinery while upholding Pam's original vision of "no preservatives, nothing artificial" across our entire product line.

The secret to our sweet success is simple: we use incredibly ripe, large, local cherries that are delivered to our warehouse shortly after being picked, often within hours. Because we are based in Washington cherry country, where sweet cherry trees flourish, choosing premium fruit from family farms ensures we start with the best tasting cherries available. 

Freshly washed, dried, and pitted cherries enter our drying tunnel where the warm air gently dehydrates them. Our proprietary process and temperature preserves nutrients and natural enzymes.

We allot extra time to slow dry the cherries in order to achieve their plump, chewy texture–a texture that other manufacturers often accomplish by adding vegetable oil.

If you are diabetic or watch your sugar for heart health, you've likely noticed the added sugar in dried cranberries and most other dried fruit on grocery store shelves. Have you ever wondered why? Sugar is used to extend the shelf life of fruit, stabilize color, and of course enhance flavor and add artificial sweetness to low quality fruit.

Many dried fruit manufacturers readily add sugar and oils to increase the weight of dried fruit, which means that they will need less fresh fruit to produce a final product.

Consuming sugar, especially in products that you assume to be low sugar, can lead to a variety of health issues, including weight gain, tooth decay, and an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. By choosing naturally dried fruit like Chukar's sugar-free dried cherries, you can enjoy the sweetness of fruit without the negative effects of added sugar.

No sugar added dried cherries are one of nature's sweetest treats. They are valued for their high antioxidant content, which help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Cherries are a rich source of antioxidants, particularly compounds known as flavonoids, which have been linked to a number of health benefits.

In addition to their antioxidant content, sugar-free dried cherries are also a good source of fiber. Fiber is a type of carbohydrate that the body cannot digest, but it plays a crucial role in maintaining good health. Fiber can help keep the digestive system functioning properly and cholesterol levels in check, which can reduce the risk of heart disease.

Dried cherries are also a good source of potassium. One serving (1/4 cup) of Chukar dried Bing cherries contains 330 milligrams of potassium, which is 8% of the recommended daily intake for potassium for most adults.

We hope this info has inspired you to give our unique, all-natural dried cherries a try. They're the perfect food for a healthy start to the new year, plus their pure cherry flavor ensures you'll enjoy a sweet taste of summer during the winter months.

You can find nutritional information for any of our products on the Nutrition tab, such as seen below for Bing Cherries.