Loss of the Bay region’s cherry crop is having a ripple effect in Michigan, and everywhere in the world cherry products are shipped.
From Berrien County in the southeastern part of the state, and at the foot of Michigan’s bountiful west lakeside fruit growing country, comes this news:
Coloma Frozen Foods of Watervliet, a $25 million a-year-company that uses fruit products from across the state, is staggering from this year’s cherry crop loss.
A representative of the company told a reporter for the Niles Star, the region’s daily newspaper, that setbacks in Traverse City cherry production for the past three years has dramatically affected his plant’s operation.
“What will a third short crop do to the cherry industry in our largest growing area? Will Traverse City survive or will we see dramatic reductions in potential capacity? We’ll run for only a portion of the year this year at reduced volume and likely lay off 60 to 75 hourly workers and reduce the hours of 20 to 30 more.”
That means a payroll reduction ranging from $800,000 to $1 million, compounded by a reduction in raw product purchased from local west Michigan growers estimated at $6 million.
And that’s just the beginning of the cascading ripple effect from savoring two weeks of summer in March.
One world, and we’re all connected.