Rooted in Sweetness

A Washington icon, cherries are sweet, juicy, and simply irresistible. From cherry blossom season’s blush of pink to harvest time’s abundance of ripe fruit, this iconic staple is world-renowned. Washington is proud to be the number one cherry-producing state in the country, with an impressive 240,000 tons of cherries harvested in 2025.

To learn more about how this precious commodity is grown, our Washington Grown team visited Gebbers family farm in Brewster, Wa., recently. Operating for more than a century, Gebbers is one of the top apple growers in the Northwest and the largest provider of cherries in the world.

Hawkins Gebbers took our team out into one of the orchards and talked about the growing season for cherries and the art of picking them from the trees.

When it comes to harvesting cherries, they are delicate and they have a short harvest window. So when harvest season hits, it’s a mad dash to get everything done quickly and efficiently. “When we are in the heart of the cherry season, it’s up to us to provide a volume of good cherries from about June 1st all the way to August 10th, with a cherry that is traditionally about a two-week harvest,” explained Gebbers.

Elevation plays a major role in harvest timing. Situated in the Chelan area, the Gebbers orchards thrive at varying elevations. For every hundred feet of elevation change, there is a two-day harvest difference. Hawkins shared that “if I harvest at the river, I can harvest a hundred feet higher two days later.” The Gebbers farm was strategically planned from near sea level to almost 3,000 feet, with a variety of trees that differ in the time it takes to go from bloom to harvest. This thoughtful planning allows cherries to be harvested at their peak throughout the entire season.

Harvesting cherries is truly an art. Pulling cherries directly off the tree can damage the small fruiting spurs that produce next year’s crop. Instead, pickers must gently grasp the stem and turn upward to release the cherry without harming the tree. It takes a great deal of practice to learn how to pick cherries efficiently while protecting this delicate fruit—and our team experienced that challenge firsthand.

For the Gebbers family, farming is about more than just the harvest. It’s about working together and finding joy in growing something meaningful from the ground up. Hawkins said, “One of our family members brought up a Bible verse from Jeremiah: The joy of the Lord is our strength. This is why we do this every day, even though it’s a long struggle and a lot of hard work. It is joyful.”

While the Gebbers family finds fulfillment in this labor of love, we are grateful to enjoy the rewards as Washingtonians. We are lucky enough to have this sweet treat available locally, and thanks to farmers and their crews we can continue to enjoy them for years to come.