Photo: Supplied / Eden Orchards
An Otago juice company is investigating yet another way of reducing cherry waste - by freezing them.
Eden Orchards in Alexandra already takes processing grade cherries from around the region and juices them.
General manager Cameron Bignell said a report prepared for the Central Otago District Council about fruit loss sparked a group of growers to come up with other solutions.
"About 2000 tonnes of processing grade cherries are produced each season. At the moment we take about 800 tonnes of those for juicing, so we want to come up with another solution for the rest; that's how the freezing trial came about.
A member of staff from Eden Orchards with a tray of cherries. Photo: Supplied / Eden Orchards
The idea has got backing from the Ministry of Primary Industries Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund which has given $40,000 towards the project.
"The trial is going pretty well. There's a bit to it; we have a team that takes the stem off every cherry manually, then they go through a destoning machine which takes the pip out without damaging the look and structure of the cherry.
"Then they are frozen quickly to keep the colour and the taste of the fruit."
Bignell said the trial was going well.
"We're pretty happy with the taste and quality that we've got at the moment. It's all about testing how the different varieties go."
If successful Eden Orchards will reach out to industry partners to launch commercial trials next season.
"Frozen cherries could be used for lots of things, in smoothies, baking, you could just eat them as they are or put them on icecream," Bignell said.
Some of the Eden Orchards workers. Photo: Supplied / Eden Orchards