Good news - Michigan's tart cherry crop isn't as damaged as first thought
Andrew Norton
We deal with a lot of Michigan companies to get our great offering of gourmet cherry products and I am extremely pleased to read in the Traverse City Record Eagle that the tart cherry crop appears to not be as damaged by the harsh April weather as was first thought. The sweet cherry crop appears to be about 90 percent damaged in southeastern Michigan according to MSU fruit experts. Tart cherries are the type that are in the majority of the products which we carry. In 2002 (the last time the tart cherry crop received major damage) our suppliers had to drastically increase the prices for all cherry products.
Why did prices skyrocket? Only 15 million pounds of cherries were harvested that year compared to a great year like last year (2006) when 190 million pounds of cherries were harvested. Simply a matter of supply and demand.