Northwest Cherries

What Northwest Cherries does

Northwest Cherries is the consumer-facing brand of the Washington State Fruit Commission, a state government agency established in 1947 and headquartered at 105 S. 18th St. STE 205, Yakima, Washington. The Commission operates as a promotional organization on behalf of more than 2,500 sweet cherry growers across the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Utah). It does not sell cherries directly; instead, its mandate is to drive fresh cherry demand through marketing campaigns, health research dissemination, recipe content, retail and food-service trade support, and seasonal consumer events.

The core platform is the nwcherries.com website, a content-managed site offering health research, recipes, grower information, a "Find Cherries Near You" store locator, a Retailer Toolkit with marketing assets and point-of-sale materials, a U-Pick Locations Directory spanning 25 farms, and the CherryUpdate email newsletter. Supporting products include the Cherry Trail seasonal promotional event in Portland (an ice cream crawl with six local dessert shops) and the annual Cherry Institute industry gathering, with the 83rd edition held in January 2026. Distribution of the underlying cherries is handled by licensed domestic and foreign shippers reaching grocery retailers across the U.S. and at least 14 international markets including Taiwan, Canada, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Brazil, and the Philippines.

Revenue mechanics are not commercial in nature; the Commission is funded through industry assessments under Washington State authority rather than product sales, and pricing of cherries is set by shippers and retailers rather than the Commission itself. Customer segments span retail consumers (primary), the 2,500+ member grower base, and grocery and food-service trade partners. Marketing reach is executed across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Pinterest, email, and PR Newswire, supplemented by co-marketing partnerships with cherry-product brands such as Chukar Cherries, Bing Beverage, Oregon Fruit Company, Packer Orchards, Northwest Wild Foods, and Washington Fruit Place.

Name

Northwest Cherries

Legal name

Washington State Fruit Commission

Website

https://nwcherries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Northwest Cherries is the consumer brand of the Washington State Fruit Commission, a state agency that promotes sweet cherries from more than 2,500 Pacific Northwest growers through marketing campaigns, retailer toolkits, health research, and seasonal consumer events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Marketing Services

akta.pro primary industry

Stone Fruit Orchards (Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Cherries, Apricots) (AFAGACAC)

Keywords

• Sweet cherry marketing
• Agricultural promotion services
• Fresh produce marketing
• Cherry industry promotion
• Pacific Northwest agriculture

Headquarters

HQ city

Yakima

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Marketing and Promotion Services: Washington State Fruit Commission operates as a promotional organization for Northwest cherry growers. The commission promotes fresh cherry consumption through marketing campaigns, health research, recipes, and industry events rather than selling cherries directly.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Northwest Cherries is the consumer-facing marketing brand of the Washington State Fruit Commission, a state agency that promotes sweet cherries grown in the Pacific Northwest on behalf of more than 2,500 growers. The organization runs marketing campaigns, health research dissemination, recipe development, retail partner support, seasonal events (such as the Cherry Trail), and a U-Pick farm directory to drive consumer demand. It does not sell cherries directly; instead it acts as a centralized promotion, communications, and trade-support body for the regional cherry industry.

Product overview

Northwest Cherries is the marketing brand for the Washington State Fruit Commission, representing over 2,500 cherry growers in the Pacific Northwest. The organization operates a marketing website as its core product, supplemented by the Cherry Trail seasonal promotional event, a Retailer Toolkit with marketing assets for trade partners, and a U-Pick Locations Directory for consumer engagement. The portfolio focuses on promoting sweet cherries (including Rainier, Bing, and other varietals) through health information, recipes, industry news, and retail partnership resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Northwest Cherries Brand Website The primary digital platform operated by the Washington State Fruit Commission, providing health research, recipes, grower information, industry news, retailer toolkits, and cherry finder functionality to promote sweet cherries from the Pacific Northwest.
• Cherry Trail A seasonal Portland-based promotional event featuring partner ice cream and dessert shops offering limited-edition cherry-inspired menu items, with a collectible stamp trail and prize giveaways for consumers.
• Retailer Toolkit A trade resource hub for grocery retailers and food service operators, providing marketing assets, infographics, point-of-sale materials, seasonal calendars, social media content, press releases, and annual reports to support cherry promotion campaigns in-store.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1 in 4 shoppers made their first fresh cherry purchase in early June or before
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Sugarpine Drive-InminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPortland ice cream shop participating in the Northwest Cherry Trail summer promotion, featuring Cherry Colada Parfait with sour cherry preserves, coconut haupia, grilled pineapple and toasted coconut.
• Kate's Ice CreamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPortland ice cream shop participating in the Northwest Cherry Trail, offering Cherry Chocolate Cheesecake featuring cheesecake crust, fudge swirl, and cherry compote.
• Pinolo GelatominorGTM or Marketing PartnerPortland gelato shop in the Cherry Trail featuring Amarena Cherry Gelato Collection with dairy-free tart cherry sorbetto and dark cherry gelato using Northwest Black Pearl, Bing and Regina cherry varietals.
• Ice QueenminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPortland ice cream shop participating in Cherry Trail with S'mores Thiccflurry featuring house-made soft serve, graham crackers, marshmallows, chocolate flecks, and caramelized dark cherry compote.
• Cornet CustardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPortland frozen custard shop featuring Cherries Jubilee Frozen Custard with Madagascar vanilla custard, flambéed sweet red cherry compote from Baird Orchards, and Grand Marnier orange notes.
• Cloud City Ice CreamminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPortland ice cream shop offering Cherry Rhubarb Crisp - mascarpone-based ice cream layered with sweet cherry sauce and house-made rhubarb crisp for the Cherry Trail promotion.
• Chukar CherriesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerContributing partner to Northwest Cherry Season Giveaway with cocktail cherries and cherry products.
• Bing BeverageminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCherry beverage company contributing to Northwest Cherry Season Giveaway prize pack.
• Oregon Fruit CompanyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFruit products company participating in Northwest Cherry Season Giveaway.
• Packer OrchardsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerOrchard contributing to Northwest Cherry Season Giveaway prize package.
• Northwest Wild FoodsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWild foods company participating in Northwest Cherry Season Giveaway.
• Washington Fruit PlaceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerU-Pick orchard at Barrett Orchards contributing to Northwest Cherry Season Giveaway.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Rainier Fruit Company: PNW-based grower, packer, and shipper of cherries and apples. Overlaps with Northwest Cherries on Rainier and Bing cherry varietals and serves similar domestic and export retail channels.
• Michigan Cherry Committee: State-affiliated marketing and promotion body for Michigan tart and sweet cherry growers. Comparable in structure (commodity marketing order), consumer education focus, and grower-funded promotional model, though more focused on tart cherries.
• Stemilt Growers: Major vertically integrated PNW grower-shipper of cherries, apples, pears, and stone fruit. Competes with the same Northwest shipper ecosystem and shares the region's cherry supply chain, varietal development, and export relationships.
• Chelan Fresh Marketing: PNW-based grower-owned marketer of cherries, apples, and pears. Operates in overlapping Pacific Northwest orchards and competes for the same retail shelf space and grower relationships as Northwest Cherries' shipper network.
• Sage Fruit Company: PNW-based sales agency representing Yakima Valley orchards for cherries, apples, and stone fruit. Directly comparable as a competing shipper/marketer channel through which Northwest cherries reach retail and export customers.
• California Cherry Marketing & Research Program: Direct state-level marketing program for California sweet cherry growers. Operates as the closest functional peer to Northwest Cherries, running parallel consumer promotion, retail partnerships, and grower-funded marketing for a competing regional sweet cherry supply base.

Broad incumbents

• California Fresh Fruit Association: Broader California table grape and tree fruit commodity association. Comparable as a state-level grower-funded marketing and advocacy body, but covers a wider portfolio beyond cherries and based in a competing region.
• US Apple Association: National trade association for the U.S. apple industry. Operates as a comparable commodity promotion and advocacy organization with similar marketing, retail partnership, and consumer health-research programs, but focused on apples rather than cherries.

Emerging players

• Oregon Cherry Growers: Oregon-based grower cooperative focused on processed and fresh cherries including maraschino and branded fresh product. Overlaps geographically with the Northwest Cherries growing region but emphasizes processed/fresh branded products rather than regional generic promotion.

Regional players

• Washington State Tree Fruit Association: Industry association for Washington apple, pear, and cherry growers including research, education, and advocacy. Shares grower base and Washington state regulatory context with Northwest Cherries, providing complementary (not competing) services to the same stakeholders.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NWcherrygrowers
• Facebookfacebook.com/NorthwestCherryGrowers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northwest-cherries
• Instagraminstagram.com/northwestcherries
• TikToktiktok.com/@northwestcherries?lang=en
• Pinterestpinterest.com/nwcherrygrowers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northwest Cherries