Things are changing in the cherry world. The gap between northern and southern hemisphere fruit is gradually closing as new varieties are being grown, alongside advancements in technology. It can be argued that cherries benefit from being seasonal, but according to Jon Clark, Director of Total Cherry that may not be the case, "We have seen, particularly in summer, that when the cherries come onto the shelves it takes a few weeks for the momentum to build. If we can keep them on the shelves and keep the momentum going we would start from a higher base, it is my belief and hope that by starting from a higher base we can reach higher levels at the peak period in June/July/August."
The reality is that production is increasing. According to Clark, a lot of growers particularly in the Northern Hemisphere have planted more area and there will be a lot more cherries going forward. "Growers often, understandably, want higher returns, but I don't think consumers are going to be willing to pay more so what we have to do is use smart practises to make that value chain work better for all. That is both operational and in the orchards, retailers also have to play their part in delivering that value to the consumer in order to increase penetration & consumption," explains Clark.
"It won't be too long before we get cherries for 12 months of the year. We have already seen the bridge between the Southern & Northern Hemisphere seasons become complete, leaving the Northern to Southern Hemisphere to be filled, once that has been completed we then need to work on the availability and values for those periods. The Staccato cherry, which Total Cherry has the exclusive licence for in the UK, has been planted. This variety extends the UK season by two weeks which makes a big difference in being able to close that gap in the late September / October period ."
There have also been changes in the Spanish cherry production over the last few years. "New varieties are replacing the traditional early varieties. Spain always had fruit in early April but it was the softer varieties such as Burlat types, which are not really suitable for export, these are now being replaced by some firmer varieties and we will see those this year around mid April, but it won't be in huge volumes, until 2018" according to Clark. These advancements with some other new developments we have in other places around the world should position our growers & customers for a bright future in cherries.
For more information:
Jon Clark
Total Cherry
Tel: 0044 1775 717180
Email: jon.clark@totalcherry.co.uk
www.totalcherry.co.uk