In Blairgowrie, Perthshire, the cherry harvest is into the third week for McIntyre Fruit. They have started picking cherries for Thomas Thomson, a neighbouring farm where they have a joint venture. McIntyre provides the labour and packs the fruit.
Matthew McIntyre, Director at McIntyre Fruit, will start with the harvest on his own farm next week. The main crop will be about 40-50%; some varieties saw a big fruit drop in June, while some have normal volumes.
"The fruit we have left is looking good, and we are hoping that it stays cool next week for the start of the harvest. One of the advantages of a smaller crop is big, firm fruit which is well spaced on the trees. As we start our harvest next week, there should be a good demand, as the volumes on the market will see a big drop when the English fruit finishes up. There is not much coming over from Canada this year either."
Most of Matt's cherries are sold through Driscoll's, who then sell to the retailers and select wholesalers.
"We are in discussions as cherries have always been seen as the same as soft fruit, for example strawberries, but they are very different. Strawberries are an annual crop and much more reliable than cherries. With cherries as we have seen in the past few years, you can have a normal crop or you can, as we have seen this year, have 50% fruit drop through no fault of your own. We need to be talking to the retailers about this. Cherries are also a big investment with trees producing fruit for up to 15 years, there are new varieties out there which we are looking at, but some of our trees are only half way through their lifespan. It is also still a learning process; we have only been growing cherries for 12 years which is not long at all.
"We have two late Cerasina varieties which have a reasonable crop this year, more balanced than last year. These will be harvested in late August to early September. The first commercial crop on these trees was two years ago."
Driscoll's have been experimenting with exports to try to get better returns. "For us it is good to work with a big company who take care of things at both ends, if you look at other countries like Chile for example they have a whole network in the supply chain. Our biggest expenses when supplying the UK retailers are transport and packing.
Experienced pickers
The smaller crop this year has meant less demand for pickers, Matt has been able to get all of his labour from a cherry grower in Kent who has pickers from Chile. They pick in Chile, then come over for the cherry harvest in Kent and then move up north for the Scottish season. They are experienced pickers and are fully up to speed when they arrive.
"They can pick 400-500kg each day, meaning we need less pickers. In total we have 50 people to cover the picking and the packhouse. We also have our grader which does a great job in separating the different colours of fruit and we are learning more each year about grading and storing fruit. The darker fruit is what the retailers want right away, while the lighter, firmer fruit has much better storing properties and can be used for exporting. We will have a small amount of fruit for export this season, how much will be determined by price."
For more information:
Matthew McIntyre
McIntyre Fruit Ltd
Tel: +44(0)7713106784
[email protected]
www.mcintyrefruit.co.uk