FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2008
www.stemilt.com
Contact Information:
Roger Pepperl
Marketing Director
Cherries head towards Labor Day with new Amigos plantings
WENATCHEE, Wash. – Thirty-four hundred feet above sea level, Kyle Mathison stands among his newly planted cherry trees enthusiastically describing why he considers his Amigos blocks to be the ‘crown jewel’ of the world’s cherry orchards.
“This is the best ground in the world for growing cherries,” he said. “We are blessed with a rich volcanic soil, fresh mountain river water and an ideal climate that stays cool during the hot summer. It’s the perfect combination for growing large, sweet and juicy cherries.”
Mathison, a fourth generation cherry grower and Stemilt Growers co-owner, has spent years planting high-elevation cherries on Stemilt Hill near Wenatchee, Washington. The latest addition brings the range of Amigos from 3,000 feet to 3,400 feet above sea level. The majority of these high-elevation orchards are picked between mid-to-late August, and the new plantings will eventually stretch Stemilt Growers’ late season cherry program into September. 
“The new Amigos plantings are located at a higher elevation than anyone has ever planted cherry trees before,” Mathison said. “Once they mature, we hope to offer consumers with our World Famous Cherries throughout the summer months and into Labor Day.”
In the cherry world, any orchard planted above 1,800 feet is considered high elevation. Because of the higher elevations, trees remain in their dormant stage longer and bloom later than the trees closer to sea level. According to Mathison, the general rule of thumb is that cherries are picked one day later for every hundred feet an orchard is elevated.
Even though the Amigos plantings are thriving now, it wasn’t always such a glamorous site. After picking a nice crop in 2003, Mathison struggled to bring enough water to the location and trees started to suffer. The following year, some trees didn’t bloom, and that had the concerned cherry grower on a mission to find a better irrigation system to replenish the young trees.
To revive the trees and ensure that they had an adequate water supply for the future, Mathison decided to build a 12-mile pipeline that would take water from the Columbia River, located at 600 feet, and pump it all the way up to the Amigos orchards.
“The irrigation project was truly a team effort and part of the reason why I gave the orchards the name Amigos, the Spanish word for friends,” he said. “My friends and hard-working employees deserve a lot of recognition for helping me make this vision a reality.”
Once he solved the water supply issue, the suffering trees quickly bounced back and became a productive part of Stemilt’s late cherry program. This year, Mathison will begin harvesting the Amigos blocks at the end of July and will carry through the third week in August.
“The high-elevation cherries held up well through the harsh spring weather,” Mathison said. “They were still dormant when the frost hit, so we expect to have lots of large, firm and high quality sweet cherries through August.”
Never being one to sit still for long, Mathison started looking for new ways to improve his beloved orchards.
(Above) Kyle Mathison and his son-in-law Robin Graham stand among the newly planted Amigos orchard at 3,400 feet above sea level.
In addition to adding more high-elevation plantings with some up-and-coming varieties, the renowned horticulturalist developed a nutrient-rich fertilizer to feed his Amigos orchards.
The fertilizer is made by composting natural wastes from his orchards and Stemilt’s packing facility. The 23-acre site mixes leftover apple culls, leaves and wood chips with dirt to create a custom-made fertilizer that meets the specific nutritional needs of each tree.
The last-to-harvest cherry trees will eventually bear Mathison’s three favorite cherry varieties to grow—Sweetheart, Skeena and Staccato. All three are dark-sweet varieties that originated in British Columbia and will thrive in an environment like Amigos.
“These high elevations have a unique environment, where the temperature swings by about 40 degrees from day to night,” said Mathison. “The warm day builds up the sugars in the leaves and then cooler nighttime temperatures send those sugars straight to the fruit. It’s like Mother Nature kissing those cherries with the sweet, juicy flavors that people crave.”