Britain as top global cherry producer: current trends

Fifteen years ago, just 400 tonnes of cherries were produced in Britain we are now pushing 5000 tonnes – What’s changed?

The reality is that the UK are in a great position (Seasonally) their only real competition is USA, Canada and Turkey, but Turkey is not a popular destination. Moreover traditional UK orchards were phased out from the 1960s because they produced too few fruit to make them worthwhile and subsequently thousands of acres of cherry orchards were destroyed. But now, cherries are mostly grown on Dwarfing Root Stocks and are sheltered in plastic tunnels, growing knowledge and techniques have improved and yields are up every year. The tunnels protect the cherries from the British weather and the dwarf trees make the fruits harder for birds to steal, and easier to pick in addition the UK climate allows for the Key “Chill Hours” which is so very important with many of the better, bigger, sweeter eating varieties such as Kordia and Regina.

The UK are taking it serious now there has been significant investment in Integrated Crop Management, machinery, Unitec have been bought to colour and size grade the fruit. Post-Harvest Techniques have significantly improved with Hydro cooling allowing for fruit to be packed and delivered resulting in longer shelf life and additional security to customer across the globe.

UK Cherry season starts from the end of June and lasts until September, through a mixture of late season Scottish production and stored fruit. British has the potential to explode on a Global Scale due to its supreme quality, taste and appearance. As much as this is a commercial crop it is given a lot of time and money as Cherry is no mugs game. I look forward to exploring the world opportunities and getting a box of British in front of everyone.

Davis (Produce ) Ltd
Welton Vale House
Welton le Wold
Louth Lincs
LN11OQT
tel 0044 1507 600969
fax 0044 1507 600491 www.davisworldwide.co.uk

Boston Sales and Distribution:

Davis Worldwide
Enterprise House
Freiston Enterprise Park,
Freiston Boston
Lincs  PE22 0JZ
Tel 00 44 1205 761 822