Cherry Marketing Part 2

Cherry Marketing Part 2. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

The 2011 cherry crop is still a month away due to again a long wet and cold spring. James Michael is the promotion director for the Washington State Fruit Commission and Northwest Cherry Growers who says last year there was the feeling that some retail dollars may have been left of the table.

MICHAEL: So they kept promoting to make that up and we’re happy with the results. So that’s played into the growers hands this year and into the dynamics of the season that we should see that support all the way through July and August.

Michael talks about some of this summer’s promotions.

MICHAEL: We have National Rainier Cherry Day July 11 and it appears that’s going to be well timed with our crop even though everything’s a little bit later but with some of the early season plantings of Rainier's we’ll have good volume on that. We have a 50 state media program driven right now for an iconic restaurant in every state is promoting northwest cherries in their menu and items along with a national push.

A lot of consumers outside of the northwest are unfamiliar with Rainier cherries and he says they will be pushing that awareness.

MICHAEL: We also have the health research aspect. We’ve had greater pickup this year in our POS materials specifically the health research pieces. Both the front of the line POS and then back of the house information for store employees and the store produce directors.

He says they have been looking a human research involving cherries and prostate cancer among other health benefits.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.