Cherry Pricing Pt 1
From the Ag Information Network, this is today’s Fruit Grower Report. When it comes to Northwest cherries being a popular Spring and Summer purchase for consumers, many factors come into play, including harvest quantity and quality, and price.
Northwest Cherry Growers President, BJ Thurlby says there’s a pricing range that is kind of a win-win …
THURLBY … “So, we know that $4.99 and $3.99 is kind of in there in that sweet spot. California did a really good job in making sure their pricing at retail was heavier to that range, which the year before it was not, and they had a huge crop the year before, and so was our crop.”
And last year, Thurlby says went extremely well across the board …
THURLBY … “From a consumer standpoint, I think we presented everything we possibly could. We had great fruit, we had the right price on it. And then because California was normal timing last year, we ended up with some big cherry displays over Memorial Day, which is before we even started. A lot of those cherry displays stayed right up front and that had a very positive impact on the season overall.”
And that, Thurlby says is not always easy …
THURLBY … “We battle for cherry shelf space every year. It’s not like apples where they have the most shelf space in the produce department to start with and they have the most shelf space to finish with. Cherries, we lose that shelf space and it goes to something else and we have to recreate it every year.”
Tune in tomorrow for more on why pricing cherries is key for consumers AND for growers.
