Cherry Season in Full Swing at Chukar Cherries in Prosser

When was the last time you enjoyed a Chukar Cherry? It's fresh cherry season in the Yakima Valley and that means it's a busy time for family-owned Chukar Cherries which is the only commercial dehydrator of sweet cherries in the state.

THAT'S A LOT OF SWEET CHERRIES

A press release says this season Chukar Cherries will end up processing more than a half a million pounds of Washington cherries for use in "tree-to-table cherry gifts and treats." Officials at Chukar Cherries in Prosser say when the first bins arrive it's a "sweet blur" of work until early August with employees process the cherries by washing, de-stemming, sorting, pitting and slow dehydration in warm air tunnels. The work is around the clock, with cherries going through dryers at all hours of day and night.

IT'S A 24/7 OPERATION WHEN CHERRY SEASON HITS

“Summer has an energy that brings our team together -- we work hard during cherry harvest, expanding our workforce, and running night shifts,” says General Manager Tim Oten. The cherry line is set up weeks in advance with efficiency improvements each year."
Earlier this year a bunch of new equipment was installed which doubled the "company’s previous fresh cherry processing capacity. The efficiency improvements are needed to supply growing demand for Chukar’s iconic cherry products."

THE COMPANY IS PREPARED FOR UNPREDICTABLE DAYS

He says the improvements are also needed to get ready for "unpredictable weather patterns - like the 2023 heat dome that caused nearly the entire crop to be harvested in just a 30-day period."
Karley Lange, Director of Domestic Promotions at Northwest Cherries says this year's cherries are large and full of sugar. For more information check the website at https://www.chukar.com/