The Life of a Chukar Chocolate Cherry
Have you ever wondered where your favorite Chukar chocolate covered cherry comes from? You're in luck! We have a fresh batch of images from this year's cherry harvest to show you, plus an inside peek into our famous chocolate room where we use old fashioned copper kettles to coat the cherries in chocolate.
Fresh Washington sweet cherries are picked at peak ripeness - even after fresh cherries intended for grocery stores - and brought to our production facility and headquarters in Prosser, WA.
The cherries are meticulously sorted, washed, and dried. We work quickly to ensure that the cherries freshness and flavor is optimal.
The cleaned cherries are then put into our signature air tunnels, which naturally and slowly dry the cherries without compromosing flavor or nutrition. This process is the cornerstone of Chukar Cherries' quality and has been the driving force of founder Pam Montgomery. Her goal when the company began in 1980s - dried cherries made without preservatives, oils, sugar, or anything artificial - is upheld today across our entire product line.
The dried cherries are taken to our famous Chocolate Room where we house our six old fashioned copper kettles.
The kettles spin and toss the chocolates as an operator pours chocolate by hand. We use incredible quality chocolate and create custom blends for each variety of cherry.
Just look at those beauties! So easy to eat by the handful.
Next, the freshly coated chocolate cherries are set on trays to dry. For your Chukar diehards out there, you'll notice that these pink chocolate cherries are our Cherry Blossoms. Look even closer and you'll notice that the woman holding the cherries is Pam, the owner of Chukar Cherries and sometimes referred to as Ma Chukar.
The chocolate cherries are now ready to be packaged! They are either sorted and weighed on squeaky clean machinery and put into bags, or....
The chocolate cherries are put into our Chocolate Cherry Assortment Boxes, which are how most people are introduced to them.
Is your mouth watering yet? If so, head on over to our site to pick up a bag of chocolate cherries to enjoy all for yourself!
