Last year at this time we were telling you about Ruby Red cherries from Orondo, developed by Marcus Griggs and his family. This year, an update.
Washington, it's worth repeating, grows two-thirds of the nation's sweet cherries on 35,000 acres of orchards, on the sunny hillsides of the Yakima Valley and overlooking the Columbia in the Wenatchee basin. The cherry season, now underway, generates enormous demand, especially in Asian countries. Freshly picked Washington cherries--airlifted to Japan and China--can sell for up to $40 a pound.
Here's the update: Washington cherry exports to China alone have tripled this year. The Port of Seattle recently paid $23 million to update two cargo terminals at SEATAC so that larger planes can load even more cargo. Cherries to China start moving through the new terminals tomorrow.
Yes, ocean traffic through the Port of Seattle slowed way down earlier this year. But fresh fruit doesn't travel by boat. And fully a third of all the air freight moving through SEATAC this year is international. That plane in the picture? Not headed to Japan or China, as it happens, but to Dubai. Fifty tons of Washington cherries on Emirates SkyCargo.
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