JULY 2023
CELEBRATING 144 YEARS AS CANADA’S PREMIER HORTICULTURAL PUBLICATION
THEGROWER.ORG
CHERRY PICKING
Raise the flag to Canadian Cherry Month
These Québecois farm workers are used to picking British Columbia cherries in the Okanagan Valley for markets as far afield as Europe and Asia. For the first time, the 400 members of the BC Cherry Association are intensifying their focus on domestic markets, launching Canadian Cherry Month from July 15-August 15. Photo courtesy of BC Cherry Association. KAREN DAVIDSON Staccato is an intriguing name for a sweet cherry. From a musician’s perspective, ‘staccato’ means to sting the note in a jumpy precise rhythm. But from a grower’s perspective, it defines a bounce in sales. Increased domestic sales are exactly what the BC Cherry Association is hoping with the inaugural launch of Canadian Cherry Month, July 15-August 15, 2023. While the association’s international reputation for Okanagan and Creston Valley cherries is well earned from the UK and Europe to China, Japan and most recently, South Korea, there’s room to raise awareness outside of British Columbia. As 2023 production crests 5,500 acres, the risks of being too focussed on overseas markets were laid bare when global logistics were disrupted during the pandemic. BC cherries are the envy of the world so it’s only natural they should take pride of place in Canada as well. Raising domestic awareness is but a logical step for the BC Cherry
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Staccato cherries
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Association. “We’re aware that premium cherries will be needed in the eastern market,” says Suhkpaul Bal, chair of the BC Cherry Association based in Kelowna. “We know this is a market accustomed to Washington State cherries.” As a grower of 90 acres of cherries himself and a frequent global traveller, Bal is savvy about how cherry varieties – with differing taste profiles and maturity dates - fit into marketing windows. The Okanagan’s northern latitude and varying elevations allow for a harvest window that stretches from early July to September. This year’s Asian mid-autumn festival lands on September 29, a date that favours having Canadian cherries land in Shanghai and Seoul in the two-week lead-up to the holiday. By contrast, the calculus at the heart of domestic sales strategy is to have high-quality cherries ready to ship to eastern Canada from July 15 to August 15. Buy Fresh, Buy Canadian is the tag line for the association’s marketing to Canadian retailers. Continued on page 3
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