The California Cherry Advisory Board (CCAB) says warm weather in its growing areas has brought on bloom in many of the state’s orchards earlier than normal, with light daily winds and mostly sunny weather providing ideal growing conditions for the fruit.
Californian cherry exporters have a long-establlished presence on the UK market and last year increased sales volumes considerably. CCAB manager Jim Culbertson believes retailers like the reliability that the state’s fruit offers. “UK retailers like the fruit because the growing conditions in California are consistent and well documented; this allows stores to plan stocks and promotions with confidence,” he says.
Mike Rucier, international marketing manager at CCAB, says that California expects a pleasing crop this year, which will be consistent with the performance of recent seasons. “In the last couple of weeks temperatures have been quite mild,” he says. “This has sped up the ripening process and the crop is now around six to 10 days ahead of schedule.”
Patrick Estes, director of sales and marketing at Sunrise Fresh, believes that this season will be one of the earliest for a number of years. “The early start is due to the hot weather that has pushed the fruit forward quite nicely,” he says. “Alongside the warm conditions in the day, has been the benefit of cool nights of around 40°F and intermittent periods of precipitation and frigid temperatures. This has provided us with an optimal growing season so far.”
A prompt start is crucial as a window of opportunity opens for California in the UK when its crops are early and its main competitive threats, Spain and Turkey, are late. Rucier explains: “The importance of the UK market to the Californian cherry industry depends on the timing of the Spanish and Turkish crops. When the season overlaps, it is difficult for California to compete with these two nations on price. Historically, the UK represents about three per cent of California’s total exports of Bing, Rainier, Van and Lambert. Exports have been as high as eight per cent when harvest timing works in California’s favour.”
The majority of California’s cherry production is Bing. Rucier says: “Bing is considered the king of all cherry varieties. Bing cherries are consistently sweeter, have a firmer texture and have a more appealing colour than other cherry varieties. Harvesting usually begins in mid-May and peaks in the first two weeks in June.” However, the Californian cherry industry has planted several early varieties in recent years including Brooks, Tulares, Burlat and Garnets. “Depending on the variety, harvest and peak production these are usually available one month earlier than Bing,” says Rucier. “These early varieties account for less than 20 per cent of California’s total cherry production with a significant proportion of the fruit going to the export market.”
Spain and Turkey are not the only competition to the Californian cherry. France, Greece and Italy are also competing for market share in the UK. Rucier says: “In 2002, Spain represented 33 per cent of the UK market share for cherries, Turkey was 24 per cent, the US north-west cherry industry garnered about 11 per cent of the market, Italy held four per cent and California was around one per cent.”
With increasing levels of production, export volumes are set to increase. According to CCAB, in the last 10 years both production and exports have doubled. Rucier is confident that the growing trend is expected to continue for at least the next three years. “So far the industry expects good volumes for the 2004 season,” he says.
Estes, however, is a little more cautious. “We predict Bing cherry supply out of our region to be moderate and not as heavy as predicted in some quarters. Our blooming stage was quite heavy this year, but that kept many farmers from using artificial beehive pollination. This, incorporated with some later cooler weather, kept pollination at a minimum, which prevented a truly heavy crop.”
The Californian industry is also looking at other nations to further enhance its reputation and increase growth. CCAB predicts that Australia, New Zealand, Korea, Mexico and China could witness growth in the next three years. In the long-term, the board is also looking at developing markets in Oceania, South America and potentially India. Rucier says: “Sales to eastern Australia and New Zealand hit a record high last year. Based on this success, we are working to remove trade barriers to allow access to Western Australia which could increase exports to the region by as much as 10 per cent. In mid-2003, Californian cherries received access to Chile. CCAB is also considering expansion to Brazil and India. The US north-west cherry industry already promotes its product in Brazil and has conducted preliminary market research in India. Both of these markets offer excellent opportunities that can be realised with future market development activities.”
The warm weather, which has brought the crop on early, may cause some sizing issues according to Estes. “If temperatures continue to reach the high 90°F every day until picking, there could be problems with sizing. We are planning to begin our picking between May 10-15,” he says.
It is not just weather that can cause difficulties. Maintaining and improving the shelf-life of products is an important area. “Cherries are an extremely fragile fruit and shelf-life is dependent upon maintaining the cool chain,” says Rucier. “The industry is going to great lengths to pack high quality with an extended shelf life. CCAB representatives throughout the world have been working with the produce trade to maintain the cool chain. Efforts have included handling seminars, merchandising audits and the distribution of technical information.”
The region is also looking at ways of improving consumption of its produce. CCAB has encouraged consumers by educating them about the health benefits of eating cherries and the Californian cherry industry is working to increase consumption in the UK in three ways. Rucier explains: “The industry is continuing to make improvements in its growing and packing technology to ensure that the consumer receives a high-quality cherry. Due to the relatively short marketing period, industry relies on repeat purchases during the season. If consumers are not satisfied with the quality of their first purchase, it is unlikely they would buy additional fruit that season.”
The second way of boosting consumption is by conducting research on the health benefits of eating cherries and communicating these results to consumers. Californian Bing cherries are a fat-free source of vitamin A, potassium and fibre. Rucier adds: “The industry is looking at the anti-inflammatory benefits of eating cherries and expects to release research results within the forthcoming 12-18 months.”
The third way in which the industry is increasing consumption, according to the CCAB, is by continually reminding consumers during the season about California cherry availability. Rucier says: “Due to the limited marketing season, people often do not realise it is cherry season. California overcomes this challenge by conducting in-store sampling activities and other promotions with major UK retailers, such promotions to draw attention to the fruit and encourage impulse purchases.”
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