Growers are in the final stages of a cherry season in Washington state that had production affected by high temperatures. Warm weather brought on supplies quickly, but summer heat caused quality and harvesting issues.
“We had a lighter crop in the trees to start with,” said Steve Lutz of Columbia Marketing International, “and heat stress at the end made pack-outs lighter.” The season started several weeks earlier than normal because of a warm spring. That was challenging for growers and retailers because they had to ramp up cherry promotions sooner than anticipated.
“There's a tendency for retailers to repeat promotional timing, so it's a challenge when you shift the season forward by three weeks,” said Lutz. Retailers were able to respond well to big early volumes, but when the heat caused quality and production issues, it became hard to keep up promotions.
'Killer start' yields to heat
“Sales of cherries for the month of June were up about 50 percent from June of 2014,” noted Lutz. “Retailers jumped on promotions early and we had a killer start to the season.” But that movement slowed considerably during the tail-end of the season.
“Prices were just a little higher than last season, but that's a little deceptive,” said Lutz. “The market got messy toward the end of the deal. There was a lot of downward pressure on the market and prices came down.”
For more information:
Steve Lutz
Columbia Marketing International
+1 509 663 1955