King Fresh Produce, LLC, is looking forward to their second year in the California Cherry deal, marketing the Farmington Fresh, King Fresh, Hy-Flyer and Mary Ellen brands, with private label cherries, as well.
Rene Millburn, Public Relations Director, tells us, “King Fresh has purchased two MultiScan Technologies units containing photo-optic grading systems for their cherry packing facility which are currently being installed at our Jody Fresh Packinghouse and Cooling facility near Kingsburg, CA. The new equipment should be up, running, and fully functional near the end of March, and we are excited to have this new grading system in place for the 2015 season.”
The new 28-lane electronic cherry grading line will sort cherries according to color, size, shape and defects, thereby improving efficiency in the packing process, resulting in better arrivals of an attractive, uniform, quality product.
King Fresh anticipates shipping upwards of 300,000 cases of both 16lb & 18lb California cherries this year from late April into June. They plan to increase their Southern San Joaquin Valley acreage this year and expand upon the photo-optic grading system prior to the 2016 cherry season, as well. Although it’s still too early to predict how the California season will play out, all indications point to a heavy crop of Brooks, Tulare, Coral, Tioga, Rainier and Bing cherries this upcoming season.
Source: King Fresh