Pick of the crp 2018-01-01 (1)

Stemilt is kicking its cherry program up a notch with the introduction of Kyle’s Pick. The random-weight pouch bags of cherries will include choice varieties, such as Hill Bings, Sweetheart, Skeena and Staccato, grown by Kyle Mathison, a fourth generation cherry grower and Stemilt co-owner. Other determining factors will include sizes, flavors firmness and sugar levels. “As a leader in cherries, Stemilt’s philosophy is to continually raise the standard for cherries in order to enhance the consumer eating experience,” says Roger Pepperl, marketing director. “Kyle is well-known in the industry as a top farmer and his passion for growing the very best is unmatched. The Kyle’s Pick program gives us a platform to share his vision and passion with consumers. It’s a premium program that differentiates Stemilt cherries at retail.” The first round of Kyle’s Pick cherries will be packed through the beginning of August, with the second pouch bag in the program, called Half Mile Closer to the Moon, coming with the harvest of Mathison’s high-elevation orchards, called Amigos. The high-elevation location of the Amigos orchard allows Mathison to harvest cherries into late August. “For every 100 feet increase in vertical elevation, cherry harvest is pushed back one day. We are farming cherries between 2,800 and 3,200 feet above sea level—literally a half mile closer to the moon,” says Mathison. For more information, visit www.stemilt.com.