For immediate release

Contact: David Severn
Northwest Cherry Growers
(509) 453-4837 or david@wastatefruit.com

Driven to make Rainier the “Cherry on Top”

Salesman celebrates variety atop the most dangerous mountain in the continental United States Yakima, WA - (July 6, 2005) - Think cherry. What do you see? A cherry red car? A favorite shade of lipstick? Or perhaps a deep-red piece of fruit heralding the beginning of summer? Well not all things cherry are red. In fact, for one growing segment of a booming industry in the Northwest and for one adventurous salesman, cherries are beginning to have a distinctly yellow hue.

It all started with the Great Freeze of 1949, when a young research scientist in Prosser, Washington, was forced to turn his breeding attention away from a frozen-out peach crop to sweet cherries. While Bing was king of the cherry crop (and still is), Harold Fogle - the research scientist ­­­­- was urged by growers to develop new cherry varieties that would be larger, firmer and, even more importantly, would mature earlier and later than Bing to extend the growing season. Out of the 1,600 genetic cross pollinations that Fogle turned into seedlings that summer, one was especially unique. This cross between a Bing and a Van, two dark red cherries, resulted in a genetically unique new cherry tree that produced large, exceptionally sweet, yellow cherries.

Although this new breed was firm and sweet, its fragile nature made it problematic for the fresh market. The Rainier bruised easily and its yellow skin made the bruises all the more visible. Used primarily as a pollinator for the better part of 20 years, Rainiers were literally destined for the birds until Grady Auvil, a pioneering orchardist in Washington, took them under his wing. With Grady’s leadership and help from several other cherry industry members, an expensive, yet practical process for handling the delicate fruit was developed and a new, ultra-sweet, consumer-friendly cherry was born. While Rainier tonnage initially grew in fits and starts, recent advancements in post harvest technology and increases in plantings have exponentially expanded the fresh Rainier tonnage harvested annually.

While Rainiers have been shipped throughout the United States and the world for years, consumer knowledge and willingness to try this luxury fruit has room to grow. According to David Severn, Promotion Director for the Northwest Cherry Growers, “Rainiers have a strong following from consumers that love their flavor and the fact that they are about 30% sweeter than their red counterparts. Yet many people have still never tried these yellow gems of nature.” With more than 1 million 15 lb. equivalent boxes expected to be shipped out of the Northwest this season, Severn hopes that increases in volume will give more consumers the opportunity to try the “best cherry in the world!”

Representing an industry of risk takers who hang their livelihood out on a tree, one Northwest Cherry Industry leader’s love for Rainer cherries took him to the top of the most dangerous mountain in the continental United States. To herald the approach of the first National Rainier Cherry Day on July 11th, Tom Drury, sales manager for Oneonta/Starr Ranch Growers’ Yakima division, planted a Rainier Cherry Day flag atop Mt. Rainier, the variety’s namesake. Drury, a lifelong Washington native and former U.S. team pentathlete, celebrated his solo ascent of the 14,410 foot peak by enjoying the sunrise and indulging in a few Rainiers.

“Heck, if I am willing to risk my life for this fruit, I hope that people will at least give it a try the next time they visit the produce department,” said Drury. “Day in and day out I see the challenges and risk that cherry growers face to bring their fruit to the world, and if I can help out their cause by getting a few more consumers to taste Rainier cherries, climbing a mountain is the least I could do.”

Given the trebling of Rainier cherry tonnage produced in the Northwest over the last 10 years and recent bulge in consumer demand for the highly seasonal fruit, perhaps, when it comes to cherries at least, yellow is the new red.