WENATCHEE, WA - How do you make the most of the U.S. Pacific Northwest cherry season? Work closely with supplier partners on timing, variety promotions, merchandising solutions, and consumer insights. With the season quickly approaching in late spring, CMI Orchards is ramping up its PNW cherry program with highly anticipated category solutions and advice for retail partners. And it sounds as fruitful as we’ve hoped.

“Cherries inspire excitement year after year, coveted for their limited availability and summer seasonality. Savvy retailers know the importance of capturing impulse cherry sales—providing multiple in-store destinations in the produce department and at check-out for customers to snatch them up while supplies last,” Rochelle Bohm, Vice President of Marketing, shares with me. “We always suggest planning Fourth of July promotions early to earmark volume and POS. Look for cross-merchandising opportunities to reach more shoppers; cherries are excellent paired with cold treats like ice cream or celebrated on charcuterie boards.”

According to CMI Orchards' season projections, cherries will most likely kick off in late May or early June—though in some years, the cherries come early, and the PNW season starts as soon as Memorial Day. While it's still too early to tell whether May or June cherries will make their mark on the calendar, Rochelle notes that the region has had a fairly mild winter and seen above-average temperatures.

“We’ll start with Red cherries, and then Skylar Rae, Strawberry cherries, and Rainier cherries will start about a week later. Our Red cherries could carry us through early August, but our specialty cherries will wrap up within a couple of weeks,” she details. “Mother Nature is a wild card, so it may be too soon to tell, but we expect a healthy-sized crop starting a few days earlier than normal due to warm Spring weather pushing up the timing slightly compared to last season. With strong volume projected out of California and Washington, it’s looking like there will be healthy tonnage to keep consistent supplies during June and July, and timing looks like we could end slightly earlier in August.”

In other words, CMI Orchards will have strong volumes to ensure adequate supply for those Fourth of July promotions and other summer spotlights.

When I ask Rochelle about the crop's hallmarks in the lead-up to harvest, she tells me that it has been dynamic, as always.

“We had a cold snap in January that impacted our highest elevation crops a bit, but the very mild winter we had coupled with the consistently warm temperatures after that cold snap delivered a great bloom,” she adds. “Those warm temperatures did bring bloom a bit earlier than last season; if all stays on track, we’re about a week earlier than last year. Every year is different, and it’s amazing what a difference a few days can make to the overall cherry market!”

One thing’s for sure, she expresses, there will be plenty of cherries to enjoy this summer, and consumers should be pleased with the quality and flavor.

“The timing of California cherries is something we closely monitor so that we can provide advice and recommendations to our retail partners on promotional timing out of Washington,” Rochelle concludes.

With retailers set to flourish this season, CMI Orchards continues its mission of excellence at retail and fantastic flavor for all.