Summer fruit season throughout Western Canada has commenced at BC Tree Fruits, with cherries now on produce shelves. A 7.5 million pound cherry crop is expected this season, which almost doubles the 2013 cherry crop.
To support the growing export program with Sutherland S.A. Produce, a dedicated export cherry line is currently being installed in the Vaughan Avenue Packinghouse in Kelowna. The line will run 16 hours a day during the peak of the seas on and can process 5 tonnes of cherries per hour. Approximately 25-30% of the 2014 cherry crop will be allocated to the export program.
“With the exceptional quality of product BC Tree Fruits growers produce, demand in export markets such as China is spiking for BC Tree Fruit Cherries,” said Clive Sutherland, President of Sutherland S.A. Produce Inc.
With the new export cherry line and increased capacity, BCTF together with
Sutherland S.A. Produce look to expand into the U.S.
Supermarkets this season offering export quality cherries previously solely allocated to Asian Markets.
“Seeing our export program grow and flourish is extremely exciting for our co-operative of growers who are focused on producing the highest quality cherries,” shared Lance McGinn, Director of Sales for BC Tree Fruits.
In addition BC Tree Fruits is supporting the summer fruit season with a social media campaign that will educate on the length of the cherry season while promoting retail partners and sharing summer fruit recipes and nutrition information.
The 2014 cherry season runs from late June to September.
