Oregon Fruit Company, a Pacific Northwest fruit company with over 90 years in the cherry industry, today announced the launch of Oregon Fruit Cocktail Cherries: a premium, bar-quality garnish crafted from U.S.-grown dark sweet cherries. Available now on Amazon and at oregonfruit.com, the product gives bartenders and home cocktail enthusiasts a premium, fruit-forward domestic alternative to Italian-style cocktail cherries.
The Italian tradition of preserving real cherries in rich syrup set the standard for the cocktail cherry category. As a state, Oregon's connection to that story runs deep as well: in the 1920s, an Oregon State University professor developed a process that made Pacific Northwest cherries viable for a similar application, giving rise to what Americans came to know as the maraschino cherry, establishing Oregon as a significant producer in the American market.
With consumers and bar operators increasingly seeking garnishes made with real fruit, clean ingredients and minimal processing, Oregon Fruit identified a gap in the market: a cocktail cherry direct from the Pacific Northwest, using fruit from the Willamette Valley and Columbia River Gorge, the same growing regions the company has sourced cherries from since 1935. The result is a cherry that is larger than traditional Italian versions, packed in its own thick cherry syrup and sweetened with vegan cane sugar, with a rich flavor and snappy texture thanks to a touch of Jacobsen Sea Salt, another beloved Oregon brand. Oregon Fruit Cocktail Cherries are shelf-stable after opening, a practical format for both professional bar programs and home pantries.
"The cocktail cherry has Italian roots, but Oregon has been part of this story for nearly a century," Carrie Blomquist, vice president of sales and marketing at Oregon Fruit Company. "We've been packing dark sweet cherries for over 90 years, so it seemed only fitting that Oregon Fruit would be the one to raise the bar on what an American-made cocktail cherry can be."
Oregon Fruit Cocktail Cherries are available now on Amazon and at oregonfruit.com. The product carries a clean label: no artificial dyes, vegan, non-GMO, kosher and gluten free. A 10-oz. jar retails for $20; 29-oz. jar retails for $46.
About Oregon Fruit Company
Since 1935, Oregon Fruit Company has been processing the best fruit in the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley to deliver a complete line of canned, frozen and shelf-stable premium fruit for consumers, foodservice operators and ingredient sales. The company is located in Salem, Ore. and can be found on the web at www.oregonfruit.com.
