"Hopefully, we are back to a normal cherry season"

As it wrapped up its Chile season just after Christmas, Sutherland S.A. Produce reports that supply looked down for the season. “Yields have been down the last couple of years for us because of El Nino and El Nina,” says Rick Chong of Kelowna, BC-based Sutherland S.A. Produce Inc., who notes that Sutherland has orchards in British Columbia, Canada, Washington State and Chile. (It also works with partners in Spain, Tasmania and California.) “It’s unusual seasonal temperatures, which affected weather down in California and Washington. We had a lot of early heat and finished it off with rain and damaged crops, just when they were ready to be picked.”

Meanwhile in Canada the crops were four or five weeks early and Sutherland saw big sizes but small yields on cherries on the trees. “The last couple of years export yields have been down because of the weather patterns. But this year it’s looking to be normal,” he says. “Hopefully we’re back to a normal season where we start harvesting on time rather than four or five weeks early.” That said, prices in Chile spiked up about 20 per cent from 2015 noted Chong.

Looking to California

With the Chilean season wrapped up, Sutherland looks towards its California season which starts in mid-April and Chong predicts a strong 2017. “Every year our business increases at least 50 per cent because we’re taking on new projects, new growers and a lot of our orchards reach maturity,” he says. Add to that recent investments in technology including installing new optical sizers at several facilities and clamshell packaging machines. “It allows us to pack a better quality product and increases tonnage per hour,” he says. “So for instance, at the BCTF Kelowna facility, we’ve doubled capacity this season and the clamshell machines let us service supermarkets in the US and double capacity in a 16-hour shift.”

Worldwide pressure increases
That can help Sutherland remain viable in an increasingly competitive market. “As new countries get protocols with China, one of the biggest markets in the world, it’s creating competition for us,” he says. “Turkey just received protocol with China last season and they’re the biggest producer in the world. Sometimes they’re as much as half the price of North American cherries.” To stay competitive, Sutherland will continue to focus on the varieties that countries such as Turkey don’t specialize in but Sutherland does including the Bing, Staccato, Skeena and Santina cherry varieties. “These are all cherries known for their flavour and firmness and crunchiness. That’s what Asia loves,” he says. “They love a cherry that is so hard that it’s like biting into an apple.”

For more information:
Rick Chong
Sutherland SA Produce
Tel: +1 403 616 1977
rick@lapincherry.com
www.lapincherry.com