FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 23, 2008
www.stemilt.com
Contact: Roger Pepperl
Marketing Director
Pictured above are four generations of Mathison's. (From left to right) Tate Mathison with son Finn and West Mathison with son Jax stand in the back while Tom Mathison and newly crowned Cherry King Kyle Mathison sit in the front.
Kyle Mathison crowned Cherry King
WENATCHEE, Wash.—Stemilt Growers, Inc. owner and partner Kyle Mathison was crowned Cherry King at the 65th Annual Cherry Institute held in Yakima, Wash. Selected for his commitment and service to the sweet cherry industry and for his future vision for cherries out of both hemispheres, Mathison is the 64th Cherry King.
As Cherry King, Kyle follows in the footsteps of his father, Tom Mathison, who was king in 1971. “Growing up, I admired my dad and wanted to excel at growing high-quality cherries like he did,” Kyle Mathison said. “It is a privilege to be recognized by my peers and be grouped with men like my father.”
According to Washington State Fruit Commission and NW Cherry Growers President B.J. Thurlby, the distinction as cherry king was established in 1945 to honor a highly dedicated member of the sweet cherry industry. The nomination and selection process is done secretly by past cherry kings, Thurlby said.
“Kyle is a maverick grower and leader with an amazing track record of giving his time to industry groups. He is an incredibly dedicated and hard working person and deserved to be recognized by his peers as an industry leader,” Thurlby said.
The Cherry Institute meeting is a full day of educational seminars that focus on horticulture, labor and marketing practices specific to the northwest sweet cherry industry. The annual crowning of a new king is always a highlight of the event, Thurlby said.
Kyle Mathison’s passion for cherries began while working on the family orchard as a young boy. Following his graduation from Washington State University, Mathison returned home to Wenatchee and purchased his first cherry orchard.
Although those first cherry crops were damaged by harsh weather, Mathison remained committed to producing the world’s best sweet cherries. Today, his cherries are farmed out of both hemispheres with significant acreage in Washington, California and Chile.
Kyle Mathison pictured in one of his high-elevation cherry orchards that produce Stemilt's 'World Famous Cherries.'
A commitment to providing consumers with “World Famous Cherries” throughout the year led Mathison to travel to Chile more than a decade ago. He spent two months touring the country on his motorcycle and came back with a great appreciation for the land and people of Chile as well as a desire to grow sweet cherries there.
In 1999, Mathison started packing cherries for Chilean growers. Six years later he expanded his cherry business by purchasing land and planting cherry trees in Chile’s fertile Central Valley.
As a primary grower of cherries, Mathison helped Stemilt become the nation’s leading sweet cherry shipper.
Mathison’s vision and passion for cherries enable Stemilt to grow, pack, and market quality cherries six months out of the year. In the Northern hemisphere, Stemilt’s cherry season starts in California in mid-April and extends well into August on Stemilt Hill in Washington. Cooler temperatures in numerous high-elevation orchards allow Stemilt to grow premium late-season cherries.
In the Southern hemisphere, cherry season lasts between November and January. While the cherry trees on Mathison’s Chile orchard are still young, he has big plans for them in the future. “It would be great to provide customers with ‘World Famous Cherries’ out of Washington, California and Chile year-round.” Mathison said.