Though a number of Northwest cherry shippers are closing up their packing houses for the season, there are still plenty of growers picking and packing some of the best fruit of the year. Mindful of the heat, growers are operating in the cooler parts of the day to make sure that the promotable volumes of fresh sweet cherries will continue to flow for the next several weeks. Some of our very latest growers expect they will pick all the way through the month of August, though volume will dip as the month progresses.
In the chart above, the orange bars represent the accumulated shipped volume this season compared to the darker bars that represent 2016. Over the month of July, the Northwest cherry industry shipped 15.2 million boxes of cherries, which is 529,000 boxes more than the Round 3 estimate, or within 3.5 percent. August so far has seen a falling daily average as packers close up for the season. To date, we've shipped 2.4 million boxes of cherries in August, and expect to ship up to 2 million more before the season is over. Quality coming in from the orchards is high, and sugars are peaking for the year.
It is important to note that there is ample opportunity for promotions during the month of August. The cherry category remains a key driver for summer produce department profits – and this year August presents a unique opportunity for the trade! Soon the air will cool and bring Fall and Back-to-School promotions, but for the entire month of August, retailers have an opportunity to boost their sales with the Number One Dollar per Square Foot Item in their produce department.
Cherry quality in the box is finishing on a high note as size and pressure are peaking for the season. Displays are key for the fruit to be on the radar of late-season buyers and impulse-purchasers alike! Sales records show that 1 out of 7 cherry buyers don’t make their first purchase until the Northwest late season. Their trigger? A countdown notice – letting them know that the time to squeeze the last bit of summer out of Northwest cherries is upon them.
Domestically, we anticipated a long and late-running crop from the beginning, and as such, our Retail and Media programs are still operating at full speed. Since August 1st, we've launched promoted ad programs across Facebook featuring videos reminding consumers how to rinse, pack and freeze cherries. We're promoting a similar video through a 3rd party food & lifestyle outfit as well to piggy-back on their established distribution networks. Our original content within Weight Watchers is live, as well as actively advertised throughout their site and across their social media channels, reaching well more than their 4.8 million active users. Additionally, Simply Recipes (the #1 recipe site for women 25-49) and Tasting Table (the top recipe site for key cherry buying demographic groups) are both running sponsored drives that began in August. While they may not have the reach of an established print-publisher like the Wall Street Journal (August 4th article below), they still have punch. Yesterday's sponsored email blast by the Tasting Table reached 700,000 of their 1.4 million subscribers. An Instagram post launched at the same time to promote the article received over 2,100 likes in the first 5 hours. In short, it may be August, but we haven't slowed with our "It's cherry season!" messaging.
Though peaches have risen to the top spot in national circular ads, fresh Northwest cherries are still present in great display sizes across the continent, and are on ad in over 16,000 stores. Several retailers are finishing off promotions this week, which were designed to pull fruit through the late July/August crossover period. Currently there are 400 cherry demos scheduled for this weekend in the United States, and our in-store radio ads will be playing through the middle of the month. Cheap prices don't necessarily dictate more ads, as ad planning is typically done 4-6 weeks prior to the ad break. This year, in comparison to the 2009 crop, we saw an increase of over 55% more ads (so far) for 25% more cherry volume.
Source: Northwest Cherry Growers