California Cherry Update

May 22nd, 2025

World Fresh Exports is actively packing and offering fresh cherries daily, focusing on Rainier and Coral varieties. The quality of cherries coming into the sheds and on the lines is excellent, with Corals showing a low stemless percentage of around 12%. Rainier cherries are displaying good color and firmness.

Due to a smaller crop this season, with estimates down over 50% to 4-4.5 million cartons, FOB prices are higher than usual. Demand continues to exceed availability, although movement in Asia has slowed due to the high unusually high air freight rates.

Interest from the Middle East and Europe is unusually high this early in the North American cherry deal, driven by several freezes in Turkey, Greece, and other European cherry-producing countries, which have significantly impacted their seasonal volumes. As World Fresh moves northward towards Washington State and British Columbia, Canada, we expect this demand to increase, with harvesting and packing continuing through early September.

(Photos pictured above are of our actual cherries packed this week)