The Cereza del Jerte Protected Designation of Origin has concluded what it described as a highly positive season, supported by high volumes, good product quality and a particularly significant commercial presence in European markets. The final figures show 5 million kilograms of certified cherries and 2.5 million kilograms of certified picota cherries, exceeding the volumes recorded during the previous season.
José Antonio Tierno, president of the Cereza del Jerte Protected Designation of Origin, highlighted both the substantial volume marketed, particularly in Europe, and the high quality achieved by the certified cherries and picota cherries.
The recently concluded season is also particularly significant from a varietal perspective. It was the first season to be carried out entirely with the new Burlat, Van and Lapins varieties, which were added to the PDO specifications in 2025.
According to Tierno, the greater availability of certified fruit represented an important advantage for the designation, allowing the product to remain on the market for longer. However, the increase in supply also affected market values, resulting in a lower selling price than in the previous season.
The expansion of the varietal range therefore enables the PDO to extend its marketing window and offer larger certified volumes, while strengthening its presence throughout the season.
The positive performance of the harvest was supported by weather conditions that were considered reasonably favourable overall during the final months of the season.
The main difficulties were limited to an episode of rainfall during the early stages of the cherry harvest and a hailstorm towards the end of the season. Apart from these events, the weather did not compromise crop development.
For Tierno, being able to complete a season normally represents a particularly important achievement, as it allows the extensive work carried out by growers throughout the year to be converted into a marketable product.
The season also coincides with a significant anniversary: 30 years have passed since the Cereza del Jerte PDO began its certification activities.
Through a rigorous process of selection and inspection, the designation’s quality mark certifies the origin and quality characteristics of the finest cherries and picota cherries produced within the recognised area.
Tierno considers the designation’s thirty years of activity to be a particularly important milestone in a highly competitive market. According to the president, certification is the tool that guarantees consumers that the product they purchase has been produced in compliance with specific cultural, environmental and economic conditions.
The value of the designation goes beyond the quality of its produce. The president of the PDO also emphasised the role that certified products such as cherries and picota cherries can play in supporting rural economies and communities.
In the Jerte area, the designation’s activities help to retain the population in rural areas, create employment, preserve the landscape and protect the local cultural identity.
This has prompted calls to increase consumer awareness of the value of PDOs and, at the same time, a request for greater support from the European Union in promoting products protected by designations of origin.
According to Tierno, protecting these products also means protecting the territory in which they are produced.
The cherries and picota cherries certified by the Cereza del Jerte PDO are grown in a mountainous environment using traditional practices. Production is deeply rooted in family farming, which is considered essential for preserving the product’s sensory and quality characteristics.
Although more than one hundred varieties of cherries and picota cherries are grown in the area, only eight are permitted to carry the PDO quality mark.
Among these, the picota cherry continues to play a central role. Typical of the Jerte Valley and the surrounding areas, it differs from other cherries due to the absence of a stem and its generally smaller size, characteristics associated with greater sweetness and a firmer, crunchier texture.
According to the president of the designation, the picota cherry is the symbolic product of the area: a unique local product that, despite its small size, concentrates some of the most highly appreciated characteristics of the local cherry offering.
Higher volumes than in the previous season, new varieties, excellent quality and a longer presence on the market have therefore resulted in a positive outcome for the Cereza del Jerte PDO, precisely in the year marking the 30th anniversary of its certification activities.
The challenge for the coming years will be to transform these results into greater economic and commercial value for the product, while continuing to communicate to consumers the connection between certification, origin, traditional agriculture and the development of rural communities.
Source: financialfood.es
Image source: Stefano Lugli
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