Sep. 7, 2016
Shoreline Fruit announced today the donation of 40,000 pounds of tart Montmorency cherries to Feeding America of West Michigan.
Through a collaborative effort between Shoreline Fruit and its growers, over 50,000 pounds of fresh Montmorency cherries were converted into 40,000 pounds of individually quick frozen cherries to make the cherry donation possible. “We are very pleased to make this contribution of our fruit to Feeding America of West Michigan.” said Don Gregory, grower and board member at Shoreline Fruit, LLC.
The domestic tart cherry production jumped nearly 40% in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Due to the size of this year’s tart cherry harvest, processors were restricted on marketing 29% of their available fruit from growers. The industry chooses to operate under a Cherry Industry Administrative Board (CIAB) federal marketing order. The CIAB works with growers to establish annual quotas to safeguard tart cherry growers from widely-fluctuating prices and to help match supply with estimated demand. Processors can choose to maintain inventory reserves, sell excess into the export market, use some for product development or donate processed surplus cherries to charity.
“The decision to make this charitable donation allows us to comply with the 2016 CIAB quota while supporting a great organization that provides much needed food to families throughout West Michigan, including our five-county Grand Traverse region.” Said Shoreline grower, Bruce Veliquette from Elk Rapids, Michigan.
Katie Auwers, food sourcing specialist with Feeding America West Michigan said this donation from Shoreline Fruit and their growers is a great example of working together to help provide nutritious food to over 1,100 hunger-relief organizations in the 40-county service area for the West Michigan Food Bank.
Shoreline Fruit, LLC is an innovative, vertically-integrated grower, processor, and marketer of premium cherry products and other dried fruits. Grower-owned and headquartered in Traverse City, Michigan, Shoreline is one of the world’s largest producers of dried tart cherries and cherry concentrate. Shoreline also offers a broad selection of other premium dried fruits and tart cherry-based nutraceutical products to consumers under their Cherry Bay Orchards and CherryPURE brand names to retail and specialty food marketers and distributors. From our orchard to consumers, Shoreline is committed to quality, innovation, and sustainability. For more information about Shoreline’s products and services, please visit shorelinefruit.com.
Serving local families in need since 1981, Feeding America West Michigan reclaims safe surplus food from farmers, manufacturers, distributors and retailers. They distribute that food through a network of more than 1,100 food pantries, youth programs, and other hunger-relief agencies in 40 counties from the Indiana border through the Upper Peninsula. Each year, an estimated 492,100 people receive food from Feeding America West Michigan. For more information, visit FeedWM.org.
We offer a variety of premium dried fruit, cherry concentrate, cherry juice, dietary supplements, and chocolate covered dried fruit. Our delicious products are great for enhancing your favorite recipes, or as a quick, healthy snack.
