Our Cherries

All About Taste

It is is more than a tagline – it guides and informs our every decision at Koala Cherries. Quality means different things to different people. For us, it means delivering a cherry that doesn’t just look great – Koala Cherries taste great. It’s because we know that while appearance may sell one box of cherries, it’s taste that keeps our consumer’s coming back to Koala. We often hear customers tell us they know what to expect from a box of Koala Cherries even before the carton lid has been lifted. Here’s how we’ve built that reputation.

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Koala Cherries farm early morning fog over dam during cherry blossom

Our Orchards

Each orchard is selected for its unique climate. The quality of our cherries starts in the orchard. We operate orchards in 3 regions, each location selected for its unique climate and suitability to grow the best possible fruit for the entire spread of the cherry season. Four generations of the Rouget family have grown cherries since 1944. It is the growing knowledge accumulated over this time that provides Koala Cherries with a unique ability to produce the best cherries every day of the cherry season. Selecting suitable cherry varieties requires years of research and inspections of  trial orchards in various regions around world. Once selected, it takes more than 10 years to propagate, plant and grow before a cherry is picked... The success of the Koala Cherries relies heavily on the knowledge, skill and commitment of our orchard managers, many of whom have been with the business for decades. 

Koala Cherries hanging on a tree in sunlight dark red ripe large cherries close up

Tree Ripened Cherries

Our cherries are tree ripened for longer.Cherries develop more flavour with each day they stay on the tree. Due to the weather risk, it is tempting to harvest cherries early. By contract, Koala Cherries are not harvested until they are fully ripened and developed maximum flavour.   Sometimes it means we lose a crop to rain, but we prefer to do this than pick a sub-standard cherry. Our commitment to tree ripening has a lot to do with why Koala Cherries has developed its reputation for superior taste.

Cherry grader sorting technology at Koala Cherries Australia

Sorting Technology

Every single cherry is individually photographed 35 times. Maintaining consistent quality relies on the ability to sort large volumes of fruit at high speed with great accuracy. Koala Cherries packing shed in Yarck, Victoria is the largest, most technologically advanced packing shed in the country. Koala cherries are sorted using the latest optical sensing technology that has the ability to pick out the tiniest faults in any cherry.

Koala Cherries employees smiling sorting cherries in the packing shed

Quality Control

Only the best cherries are packed into the Koala brand.After automated sorting, and before being are packed off, cherries manually inspected. The Yarck packing shed employs over 250 staff at the peak of the season, many of who are focused exclusively on maintaining and enforcing the strictest quality standards. Koala quality managers ensure only the best cherries are packed into the Koala brand.

Sustainability

Growing towards a greener future

Koala Cherries is on a journey towards greater sustainability. We depend on the pristine environment where our cherries are grown to achieve the quality, flavour and consistency that Koala has become famous for. This is why we have always considered the impact of our practices when making any changes to either our orchards or packing practices. We are continually pursuing measures to minimise our impact on the environment. We are acutely aware of the need to reduce our reliance on plastic and are working hard to find more sustainable packaging. Here are some of our recent initiatives to improve environmental sustainability at Koala Cherries

Packaging

From 2022, plastic punnets are made using a minimum of 80% recycled material. Our 300g and 1kg punnets are made using 100% recycled material.

Recycable Packaging

We are transitioning all our soft plastic packaging to be suitable for recycling via Government initiatives.

Learn more

Solar

We harness the sun to power as much of our packhouse and farms as we can. Using sustainable energy plays a key role in reducing our impact on the environment

Health Facts

Not only do they taste delicious, but Koala cherries are also jam-packed with nutritious goodness!

Cherries are rich in vitamin C, fibre, potassium and antioxidants. One cup of cherries – only 10-12 cherries! – provides 16% of daily vitamin C requirements. A one cup serving of cherries has the capacity to hold 4,873 antioxidants, including the powerful Anthocyanin's believed to be good for heart health. Cherries have been shown to alleviate arthritis and gout and have high levels of melatonin, which can help you get a good nights sleep. Check out the benefits below!

Cherries contain high amounts of melatonin which is a natural chemical that helps regulate your body’s sleep wake cycle. Studies show that eating cherries can lead to a better night sleep helping your body to recover and feel well rested. 

Cherries are relatively low in calories whilst also being high in fibre which helps you feel fuller for longer, plus it helps to improve your gut health!

Studies show that the high levels of antioxidants in cherries can reduce pain and inflammation especially for those who suffer from arthritis.

Antioxidants in cherries as well as their naturally high levels of potassium can help to speed up muscle recovery, reduce soreness and swelling, as well as prevent strength loss. 

Research shows that the naturally high levels of antioxidants in cherries helps to combat oxidative stress. Oxidative stress in the long term leads to many chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. That’s why it’s important to include foods that contain antioxidants in your diet.