February is National Cherry Month – making it the perfect time to highlight our homegrown superfruit, Montmorency tart cherries! Graceland Fruit is fortunate to be located in the heart of cherry country – actually, northern Michigan is known as the Cherry Capital of the World!
We Deliver Authentic: Graceland Fruit’s exceptional infused dried cherries start with high-quality fresh fruit harvested at peak season and flash frozen to preserve the cherries nutrition, vibrant red color, and that distinct sweet-tart flavor. All of our cherries are grown and harvested in our backyard. Authentic, from the orchards to our customers, click here to watch our Montmorency tart cherries being harvested.
We Deliver Nutritious: When Graceland was founded, tart cherries were almost exclusively used for pie filling. They have since broken out of the pie shell and onto the superfruit stage, gaining a new reputation – praised for their versatility, nutrient density, and health benefits.
Nearly all health research on cherries has been conducted on the Montmorency variety vs. any other type of cherry. The distinctive taste and deep red color of Montmorency tart cherries are due to the concentration of anthocyanins, a type of polyphenol in the flavonoids family. Montmorency tart cherries are nutrient-packed superfruits with multiple health-promoting benefits and bioactive compounds. According to a recent study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, tart cherries allow athletes to recover quicker and “bounce back” a little bit better. This is due to the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties found in Montmorency tart cherries, helping aid the muscle healing process.
We Deliver Distinctive: With today’s changing palates, tart cherries provide the ideal multi-faceted, sweet-tart flavor profile for a variety of foods and beverages with a superfruit punch.
According to Datassential Custom Research, 6 out of 10 consumers “like” or “love” sweet-tart products. Snacks made with tart cherries – such as nutrition bars, energy bites, trail mix, granola, jerky, and other meat snacks experienced the largest growth of the new tart cherry products in the past five years.*
New York flavor house Virginia Dare tagged “Sophisticated sour” as one of their top flavor trends. This soaring trend, along with bitter and tart profiles, is predicted to impact tonics, cocktails, beers, condiments, sweet treats, and savory foods blended with a touch of sour. See how you can tap into this flavor trend by using our Montmorency tart cherries in one of your applications!
*Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD)
We Deliver Delicious: According to Mintel Global New Products Database, Montmorency tart cherries have seen a 113% increase in products introduced in the last five years. At Graceland Fruit, we offer both conventional and organic infused dried cherries. Our homegrown, versatile red wonders are available in whole, half, julienned, sliced, diced, and petite diced form, each with outstanding piece integrity, moisture, and texture.
We Deliver Delight™: Learn more about Graceland Fruit here. For more information on the benefits of Montmorency Cherries, visit our friends at Choose Cherries.
Put an (infused dried) cherry on top – they are always in season!
