CHERRY SIZING

Have you ever noticed when you buy a bag of cherries at the store they are typically all a uniform size? Cherry growers want to make sure the consumer is buying only the highest quality cherry, so the cherries go through a machine before being packed to determine the size and quality of the cherry. With the same sized pit, larger cherries offer a higher ratio of edible fruit and thus demand a premium price. On the flip side, small cherries offer a great value and price break for your customers.

The industry measurement for cherries is determined by their row size, an older method for packing cherries. Growers would pack the lop layer of a box in a neat row, and that would determine the size. For example, if 10 cherries fit in a row inside the box, the cherries were called 10R. Sizes can vary from about an 8R (largest) to a 12R (smallest).  

Courtesy of www.stemilt.com

Though we will occasionally see a 12R cherry here at Earl’s, the smallest sizes don’t tend to be packed for retailers. Those will end up being processed for juice, or other consumer goods such as cherry pie filling.  Small cherry growers do not usually have the machines to size their cherries and will pack in bulk, mixing large and small sizes at a better price to the consumer.

Organic cherries are now coming out of California and will transition to the Pacific Northwest in June.