Northwest cherry industry sets new daily shipping record of 712,486 boxes

By the time additional boxes were tallied for last Monday, Northwest had reached a new industry daily shipping record of 712,486 boxes. "That was the first time our official Northwest box count has surpassed 700,000 boxes in one day. And then it did it again on Friday the 29th with 708,000 boxes. Those big days boosted the weekly average as well. Starting last Monday, the Northwest averaged 604,000 boxes of sweet cherries shipped per day for the week," stated James Michael from Northwest Cherry Growers.

Early demand to fill both domestic and export retail channels has the industry in a "pick and ship" mode. "To everyone's benefit, the relatively stable weather has kept our cherries in the sweet zone. The dessert quality of a bag of Northwest cherries is unparalleled right now, and steady, careful picking will keep those cherries coming in to the waiting refrigerated trucks."

June volume this year was every bit as strong as projected prior to the season. If the preliminary total of 11 million boxes for the month holds, that would make it the third largest June in industry history. The record setting week that closed out the month also carried June beyond our pre-season estimate of 9 million boxes. "Clearly, the combined cherry volume from our early regions along with warmer-than-usual mid-season growing areas created the volume needed to support the strong June retail support we've seen."

"The Rainiers and other yellow-fleshed cherries are making fans all over the globe, and fortunately there are (just) a few left to pick and share for the season."

For more information: www.nwcherries.com