WENATCHEE, WA - Today is National Rainier Day, and one way to celebrate is to soak up some cherry wisdom from CMI Orchards President Bob Mast. An expert in all things cherries and apricots, I caught up with the company’s head to get the scoop on what we can expect for both seasons, and how retailers can make sure their sales are at their highest.

“There’s an abundance of red cherries,” Bob tells me as we discuss retail strategy for the 2017 season. “We want retailers to get very aggressive, and basically step on the gas and don’t let up for four to five weeks.”

As cherry season comes to a close, and the industry sets its sights towards apricots, all signs are currently pointing to great returns and flavor, Bob tells me.

“We’ve got a really good-sized apricot program this year—the industry is going to yield a lot of fruit,” Bob continues, switching gears to the stonefruit. “We should have great flavor and great color.”

CMI Orchards offers its apricots in a wide array of pack options, including:

• Volume fill packs
• Panta-Paks
• Catch weight bags
• 1 pound pouch bags

So, what are some ways that CMI has been able to achieve a 50 percent incremental sales increase this season? Watch my full interview with CMI’s President in the video above to learn the details.

CMI Orchards