My Recent Articles
Thurlby: The power of price
Cherry consumers rank quality and flavor as most important, but cost is a key metric, too.
Thurlby: We asked, they answered
The consumer has the final say on Northwest cherries.
Thurlby: Fruitful thinking
Northwest cherry growers hope to take advantage of market opportunities in 2022.
Thurlby: Make room for blooms
Cherry industry takes notes on last season’s success and invests in healthy markets for 2021.
Thurlby: A cherry market that no one has ever seen
Pandemic pressures push cherry promotions to quickly adapt to online shopping and digital marketing, but Northwest Cherry Growers is up to the challenge.
Thurlby: Another season of hope is upon us
Northwest Cherries President B.J. Thurlby looks ahead at another season of hope, with a solid plan in place.
Thurlby: Complications in cherry forecast
2018 brings an earlier start and cloud of tariffs over China.
Thurlby: Looking ahead to the Northwest cherry season
In Washington, we just came through the rainiest March on record, and the view from the window tells me the season has yet to give way to what most of us would call “springtime conditions.”
Thurlby: Hot for cherries
Gonzalo Villareal harvests SweetHeart cherries in Selah, Wash., on July 16, 2015. (TJ Mullinax/Good
Thurlby: The 2015 Northwest cherry season by the numbers
Gonzalo Villareal harvests SweetHeart cherries in Selah, Washington on July 16, 2015. (TJ Mullinax/Good
Thurlby: Northwest cherries shipping, selling at near record volumes
Click chart to enlarge.July is the biggest month of shipments during the NW cherry
Thurlby: Northwest cherry team on the go through first crop estimate
The promotion staff at the Northwest Cherry Growers has been all over the globe over
Good Fruit Grower improves service to growers
As the Northwest Tree Fruit Industry races toward 2014, the team at the Washington State
The Fickle Nature of Earned Media
With the industry running full tilt into apple harvest … the team at the Northwest
The Art, Science…and Luck of Cherry Crop Estimation
It’s June 12th 2013 and the Northwest Cherry harvest for this season is officially underway.
Reporting from Asia
TOKYO, Japan -- As the Northwest Cherry Season quickly approaches I am spending two weeks
A New Cherry Season Brings Hope, Opportunity and Plenty of Challenges
As the Northwest Cherry season draws closer by the day … for the first time
Northwest Cherry 2012 Season at a Glance
The final sweet cherry shipments from the Pacific Northwest left the industry this weekend, bringing
Stone Fruit Marketing in Canada
I was able to attend the annual Canadian Produce Marketing Association conference through this past
Sometimes Politics
In all businesses, there are days where politics come into play and understanding the political
The Tree Fruit Industry Attends Produce Marketing Association Meeting in Atlanta
Keith Hu visits with a Chinese importer at PMA 2011. The team at the Washington
Early Morning Media Blitz
As National Rainier Cherry Day came and went this week, the team here at the
The Sweet Cherry Business
The 2011 Northwest Cherry season is finally under way … with first harvest starting to
Waiting on the 2011 Crop
Up to this point, the theme for the 2011 Northwest Cherry season has been “hurry
And So It Begins …
Photo: Eric Johnson Orchards, April 7, 2011 This is the time of year where we
Cherry Institute
Winters seem to pass more quickly every year. As most know … winter is officially
Yes We Can…
In recent years, my wife Maggie and I have canned peaches, tomatoes, and asparagus. Maggie
Vietnam: A Land of Mopeds and Growing Cherry Consumption
Keith Hu discusses merchandising strategy with Metro Fruit Category Manager Vu Thi Thu Huang. The
Retail Executives Enjoy a Taste of Peach Harvest
PHOTO: Jill and Peter Douglas show retail guests some freshly harvested peaches and nectarines. As
Finally, Cherry Growers Get Serious About Harvest
Mark Hanrahan As we approach the last few days of shipping before the window for
Rainier Cherries Receive “Premium” Designation
Photo: Rainiers at Harris Patterson Ranch, 2009 As we wait for the needed warm weather
June comes in like a lion?
Photo: Rain-damaged 'Chelan' cherries in Pasco, Washington, on May 31, 2010 Amazingly, it’s the first
Weathering the Weather … Whether we like it or not
It is late April, and all of us are hoping that frost season has come