Whether topping a pavlova or eating them fresh, cherries have been a must-have at Christmas.
However, a good cherry season isn’t always guaranteed. These delicate fruits need cold weather early in their growth and lots of sunshine to ripen. Most cherries come from Central Otago, and the season is short, lasting about six weeks and peaking just before Christmas.
Foodstuffs North Island Head of Produce Brigit Corson said a bit of sunshine should see plenty of cherries in their New World, PAK’nSAVE and Four Square stores over the coming weeks.
“It always feels like we’re crossing our fingers to get the fruit into stores at the right volume and at the right time. I’m hoping for some sunshine in the coming weeks in Central Otago to help push things along,” said Corson.
“More than 280,000 customers bought cherries in the week leading up to Christmas last year across our North Island stores, and there’s been a few more trees planted in the past few years, so we’re forecasting slightly higher volumes this year.”
She has expected demand to be stronger and cherries to be one of the season’s best-selling fruits again. In-season cherries have been among the best things about the Southern Hemisphere Christmas.
“They really are the taste of summer. If we’re lucky with the weather, sometimes we will still have them on shelves in early February, so I’m crossing my fingers for that, too.”
Corson added that customers responded overwhelmingly positively to them, and a massive effort was made across the supply chain to pack, store, and distribute cherries to be as fresh as possible.
“We offer packs of cherries at a variety of sizes so everyone can enjoy them no matter how many people are coming to Christmas dinner.”
Jeremy Hiscock, owner of Panmure Orchards, is a sixth-generation Central Otago grower. Panmure Orchards has supplied cherries and nectarines at Foodstuffs North Island stores for 55 years.
“Given there’s such a short run of the season, this time of year can be incredibly intense. Having our cherries hit shelves at just the right time makes all the lead-up and hard work worth it,” said Hiscock.
