Why are bing sweet cherries so expensive?

randy41 · Jun 9, 2014

sixdogs said:
It's $6 to $8 a pound. I bought 2 lbs for nearly $12 today at Costco and saw some earlier in the week at a grocery store for $7.99 lb.
That's pretty pricey and I noticed the same thing last year. What's up?

that is a lot. when i occasionally get a crop of cherries from my trees i would sell them at the farmers market for $8/qt. didn't get any cherries this year. farmers market prices are usually more than regular store prices.

sixdogs · Jun 9, 2014

I know the farmer's not getting the $$. That's a given. As Ronald Reagan said, they're the only business that buys at retail, sells at wholesale and pays the freight both ways.

But didn't sweet cherries used to be $1.79 a lb? And now they're $5- to $7 a lb?

Bird · Jun 9, 2014

farmers market prices are usually more than regular store prices.

Yep, the prices are higher, the produce may not look as smooth, clean, and uniform in size and shape, but it tastes better, at least with such things as tomatoes. I spent $19 right quickly at our local farmers market Saturday for a few tomatoes, white and yellow squash, and purple hull peas.:laughing:

dave1949 · Jun 9, 2014

mriderrw said:
I am amazed in what I am hearing. Please do not think the farmer is see that kinda returns. I personally deliver are early cherries to different places in the area and charge between 1.50 to 3.00 a pound. today we were told we could start are Bing harvest Wed. I expect are returns will be somewhere in the middle of that. By the way anybody wants to buy a few tons I will be more then happy to sell you them at that price

That's interesting. I'm pretty sure if the wife and I bought a ton of cherries in WA, she could eat at least half of them before we got back to Maine. :laughing:

Wish you good luck with your harvest.

flusher · Jun 9, 2014

Supply and demand?

That's why I have four dwarf cherry trees as part of my landscaping design. Good tasting cherries (ask the birds--they get their share).

Grapes are also expensive, which is why I have a small vineyard with a dozen 8 year old California concord vines (table grapes, not for wine making).

I like almonds which I get in abundance from about two dozen old overgrown sweet almond trees on my place (the remnants of an old orchard that was planted over 70 years ago according to my neighbor who helped with the planting when he was in grade school). I pick the low hanging fruit--the blackbirds take care of the rest.

Good luck.

Bird · Jun 9, 2014

dave1949 said:
That's interesting. I'm pretty sure if the wife and I bought a ton of cherries in WA, she could eat at least half of them before we got back to Maine. :laughing:

Wish you good luck with your harvest.

The last time we passed through the state of Washington, (1991), I stopped and got a bag of cherries at a roadside stand. I think it was 5 pounds and they were all eaten before the day was over.:laughing:

dave1949 · Jun 9, 2014

Bird said:
The last time we passed through the state of Washington, (1991), I stopped and got a bag of cherries at a roadside stand. I think it was 5 pounds and they were all eaten before the day was over.:laughing:

Yeah, you can't eat just one, or 20 or 30 or ... They are like candy.

DFB · Jun 9, 2014

Simple supply and demand is more like it. Early crops out of Cali were poor and caused prices to go up. Better crops from the Northwest are expected to drive prices down.

And a lot of the market's cherries are grown in Chile too

Bigger crops, promotable prices expected - The Packer

Bigger crops, promotable prices expected - The Packer

fbagg · Jun 9, 2014

Here in California we have approximately 700 acres of cherries at our ranch, it was a horrible year for the bloom probably because of a marginal winter. So yield was down 75% from last year and that means the demand is there but not the supply, so market price is up because everyone wants them but they are not on the tree.