Around 20 million 20lb boxes of delicious, plump and fleshy cherries were harvested in the Pacific Northwest during the summer season. The cherries from this region in the US, centred on Washington State, are some of the best in the world and in demand by consumers across the globe.

Around 30 per cent of the harvest is exported, with Asia being the biggest customer, led by China and South Korea. ‘Europe is the second market after Asia, but it is a distant second,’ says Patrick Allen, manager and franchise owner of Pilot Freight Service’s Washington offices.

It has become expert in trucking and shipping the tonnes of the ever-popular Bing, the early cropping Chelan, the yellow Rainier and the late season mahogany red Lapin varieties to market.

Harvested in an intense three month period over the summer, these are delicate fruits that need to be transported thousands of miles, so how do they get from the tree to market in good condition?  We break down the process in this step-by-step illustration.

Picked by hand

Cherries are picked by hand, to prevent damage and bruising at the peak of ripeness, and put into large plastic containers on farms in Washington State and the Pacific Northwest region.

Core Temperature 

Depending on the distance from the packing house, some farms will have hydro-coolers in the field to take out heat, but usually these are at the packing plant. The fruit’s ‘core’ temperature is taken with probe thermometers, but not from fruit at the top of the box as these cool quicker. If it’s more than 50oF (10oC) they are cooled.

Packed in punnets

In the packing house cherries are cooled if needed, washed and separated according to size. The largest will be the most valuable at market. The cherries are packed into punnets – similar to those you find on supermarket shelves.

Punnets to pallets

Cherry punnets are packed according to grade into 5kg boxes. There are around 70-80 of these boxes per pallet.

On to the forwarder

The pallets are covered in insulation wrap to preserve the low temperature of the cherries’ flesh. Protected pallets are taken by refrigerated truck to the freight forwarder. Allen says: ‘We will receive the cherries on the same day or morning after picking and will book the space and prepare the necessary paperwork.’

Flight Ready

The cherries are delivered by truck to either Vancouver or now Portland airports for export on Cathay Pacific flights. Forwarders also use San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Flying Fruit

The cherries are loaded on to Cathay Pacific aircraft in the temperature controlled hold, and they are kept in cold rooms on arrival in Hong Kong before being loaded on aircraft again to the ultimate destination. From tree to shelf in a couple of days. Allen adds: ‘Cathay Pacific Cargo is Pilot’s favourite carrier for shipments of fresh Washington State cherries.’