The monitoring of fruit maturity at the retail, wholesale, and export levels, relating to the first season of this three-year project, was completed at the end of February, providing the project team with the first comprehensive benchmark on fruit quality across the supply chain.
More than 2,000 cherries were sampled in Melbourne, Sydney, and Brisbane. For each fruit, Brix level, acidity, and firmness were measured, and a visual assessment of color was also conducted. This dataset provides the project with a solid baseline for understanding the current maturity level of fruit offered to consumers.
The results of the first season monitoring are encouraging. As shown in the chart below, 92% of samples met the current minimum maturity standard of 15° Brix, confirming an excellent season in terms of fruit quality. These findings will contribute to industry discussions as work progresses toward defining a minimum maturity standard and related guidelines. Monitoring fruit across retail, wholesale, and export channels provides a consistent reference point for future decision-making.
Image 1: Project compliance in cherry production during the 2025–2026 season. Photo credits: Delytics
This benchmarking will be complemented by consumer panel data on taste preferences, currently under analysis, to build a robust evidence base that will support industry decision-makers in ensuring that standards are set at the right level to meet Australian consumers’ taste expectations.
Monitoring across retail, wholesale, and export channels will continue each year of the project to track maturity across different growing seasons. The second sampling season is expected to begin in November 2026.
Mark Loeffen
Chief Executive Officer of Delytics
Source: Cherry Growers Australia
Image source: Stefano Lugli
29 Jan 2025
A study utilized the CTIFL color scale to classify cherries into three maturity levels analyzing the fruit both before and after a 28-day storage period. Cherries with optimal dry matter levels exhibit lower respiration rates, which helps maintain flavor during storage.
Consumption Markets Press review
24 Jan 2024
Importers expanded their sales network through streaming services, hiring broadcasting companies and influencers with a high audience. This season, Chile expects to export a total of 81,477,564 boxes to China.
18 Sep 2026
Canada and the US settle the dispute over Staccato® cherries. Monson Fruit Company will pay past and future royalties, stop propagating new Staccato® trees through 2029 and refrain from exporting fruit outside the US through 2032, ending a six-year long legal battle.
18 Sep 2026
Centro Fruticultura Sur will host a seminar in Chillán, Chile, on protected fruit cultivation, featuring two new publications on covered cherry production and European hazelnut physiology and management, with tools to address climate variability in modern orchards.
