Cherry Acquisition

The Oregon Cherry Growers, a grower-owned cooperative, has acquired Bell Foods International's cherry operations. The Ag Networks' KayDee Gilkey has more on the story.

GILKEY: Oregon Cherry Growers, Inc. are known for perfecting the maraschino cherry, a preserved, sweetened cherry. Bell Foods International's is another longstanding Oregon-based maraschino cherry company and the acquisition is part of an overall managed growth strategy for Oregon Cherry Growers. Tim Ramsey, President and CEO for Oregon Cherry Growers said that the acquisition supports their effort to supply customers with the highest-quality maraschino cherries made with locally-grown fruit. Craig Bell, founder and president of Bell Foods International will join Oregon Cherry Growers in an advisory role. Bell Foods will continue to produce and co-pack several non-cherry products.

Thanks KayDee. Oregon Cherry Growers, Inc. is a grower-owned cooperative, founded in 1932, and made up of nearly 60 family farmers located in the Willamette Valley and along the Columbia River Gorge. The cooperative is the largest grower-processor of sweet cherries in the world, including fresh, maraschino, glacé, frozen, IQF, dried and canned cherries, as well as a wide variety of dried fruit, servicing the foodservice, retail, and industrial ingredient channels.

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