Chukar's Vision, Then and Now
Authentic Northwest goodies start with fully ripe, local cherries. In 1988, when we launched Chukar Cherries on our family farm with our daughters (pictured), our vision was to harken back to the time when families grew fruit trees in their backyards. Back then most homes grew their own apples, plums, peaches, apricots, and—if they were fortunate—cherries.
There’s a major flavor and nutritional difference between a fully ripe cherry and one that is picked underripe or green—which we fully appreciate. Because we don’t add sugar during the drying process, our cherries must be picked when the natural sugars are at their peak. Starting with ripe cherries allows us to offer an entire product line of no sugar added cherry snacks with natural sweetness and vibrant cherry flavor.
Next in our journey, we developed an efficient fruit dehydration process using warm air tunnels with a careful process of fragile fruit handling. Finally, we made a commitment to utilizing only quality clean ingredients free of preservatives, fillers, and anything artificial.
