Ruby lovers rejoice!

Every year lovers of the Orondo Ruby® cherry wait patiently to find this special cherry at grocery stores. If you love the Ruby® the time to enjoy them is now! Only available for about 3 weeks every season, consumers know Orondo Ruby® just might be Nature’s Perfect cherry with its sweet but complex flavor, beautiful blush appearance and firm texture. Chef Meg Raines agrees, “The Orondo Ruby® has wonderful eating qualities and is perfect for salads, baking and juices.”

Just in time for summer, Meg has created 2 beverage recipes that will keep adults and kids cool this cherry season.

Orondo Ruby® Cherry Milkshake

And for those hot afternoons and late night slumber parties, the Orondo Ruby® shake will be a treat long remembered.

Orondo Ruby® Cherry and Peach Sangria

Meg added a new twist to Sangria by adding the Ruby to this classic backyard patio and picnic beverage.

Click here for where to find the Ruby. And remember, Orondo Ruby® is only in stores for 2 more weeks. Contact your Chelan Fresh cherry team member to secure any remaining Orondo Ruby® inventory. 509-682-4252.

Ready for Ruby!

It is official – Orondo Ruby® harvest is less than 10 days away and for those that eagerly await this special cherry each year, the excitement is building. This cherry is exclusively grown on the banks of the Columbia River in Eastern Washington where warm summer days and cool river breezes make for the perfect growing conditions.

Orondo Ruby® may be nature’s perfect cherry with waves of complexity that blend into juicy-sweet layers of flavor. The scarlet red-blush of each cherry make it perfect for use in salads, baking and best of all – just plain eating! The Ruby also stores well so stock up, the season only lasts for a few short weeks.

If you are a cherry lover and have not yet tried the Orondo Ruby® you are missing out. The Ruby is available for a short season beginning 6/24- 7/12 so contact the Chelan Fresh cherry team for more information on having this perfect cherry in your store. 509-682-4252.

Orondo Ruby® Anticipation Builds

A few short weeks ago the Orondo Ruby® trees were in full bloom and bees were taking advantage of the warm spring days to pollenate the cherry blossoms. Each day the cherries continue to grow from their small size into the striking yellow cherry with beautiful red blush known as Orondo Ruby®.

The Ruby cherry will be harvested the 3rd week of June and land on store shelves by June 21st. People who have tried the Orondo Ruby® eagerly await the arrival of this cherry and know it is only available through mid-July. The Ruby has a sweet but complex flavor and firm texture that makes it perfect for snacking. The red-blush exterior creates a beautiful addition to any salad and perfect for show-stopping desserts. Call our Chelan Fresh Sales team for more information about carrying this premium cherry on your store shelf.

Countdown to Orondo Ruby® Cherries!

The first warm days of spring always bring excitement and the word “CHERRY” to conversations here in the Northwest!  Here at Chelan Fresh we love our apples and pears, but we are especially passionate about Cherries. Because when you’re one of the largest shippers of both Red Sweet, Rainier and our exclusive Orondo Ruby® cherries, your passions run deep.  

Currently the Chelan Fresh orchards are still in the Bud Swelling stage based on the progression chart below.  Our ultimate start date will be determined by the number of degree days from now until full bloom and once we hit full bloom, we know harvest is a short 60-75days. We anticipate the harvest to start around the 2nd week of June but Mother Nature can give us some really warm spring days that may allow us to begin harvest sooner. Once Chelan Fresh cherries are harvested, we plan to ship those cherries within 12-36 hours of harvest and processing.  We take great pride in our farmers who make sure that our cherries are harvested at peak times in the early summer mornings, cooled at the orchard sites and are kept cold until they reach retailer shelves.   

The Orondo Ruby cherry is only available for a short time each season starting the last week in June through the middle of July in 12 oz , 1 lb and 2 lb clamshells. The beautiful red-blush color of this cherry and its complex flavor gained it the nickname “Nature’s Perfect Cherry”. The Ruby has received A+ ratings from consumer tasting panels with comments like “Nice flavor and great size, “Delicious, refreshing, not too tart, and not too sweet” all echo our feelings about what we think is Nature’s Perfect Cherry. Stay tuned for updates on full bloom, days to harvest and retailers who plan to feature the Orondo Ruby. And contact your Chelan Fresh sales team member for more information on featuring this cherry on your store shelves.

Successful Orondo Ruby Season!

Our Orondo Ruby cherry season is officially over! Our last shipments went out on 7/25 to Safeway stores in Northern California and will only be on shelves for a short time more. Our crop this year was one of the best to date with large, juicy fruit. 

We thank all of the consumers who took time to write and tell us about their discovery of Orondo Ruby! Look for this Perfect Cherry next year and be sure to tell your local Produce Manager how much you love the Orondo Ruby.