US (WA): Rainier Fruit Company prepared for soaring July temperatures

Last Sunday, temperatures in parts of Eastern Washington hit 100 degrees and the forecast predicts upper 90’s the balance of the week. These warm temperatures have a tendency to take a toll on cherries so harvest takes place early in the day when it’s cooler and the trees are less stressed. To mitigate the hot weather, Rainier Fruit Company recently completed construction on its 12th hydro-cooler for use in one of 22 orchards harvesting cherries this summer. Their fleet of portable hydro-coolers follows the cherry harvest as it progresses from the south to north during the harvest season. These hydro-coolers are the first line of defence as temperatures soar during the summer months.

Removing the field heat from cherries is an important first step to delivering fresh firm cherries to consumers. Hydro-coolers will reduce the internal temperature of cherries upwards of 20 degrees during the 3-5 minute pass through the chamber. Upon completion, the cherries are loaded onto refrigerated trucks for their trip to the packing facility where they are either hydro-cooled again, moved into wind chambers with temperatures near 32 degrees to rapidly cool fruit prior to packing, or both.

Rainier Fruit Company runs a tight cold chain management program, understanding it is the foundation to their cherry quality control program. "We believe our responsibility extends beyond passing arrival inspection at our customer’s warehouse. We want the consumer who purchases our fruit to have an exceptional eating experience after storing it in their own refrigerator for a couple of days," said Suzanne Wolter, Director of Marketing. "We want them to return for cherries multiple times during the season."

For more information:
Suzanne Wolter
Rainier Fruit Company
Tel: +1 509-697-6131
Mob: +1 509-969-3323
suzannew@rainierfruit.com