Stemilt signs commercial agreement with Brandt’s Fruit Trees and LFP to grow ultra-late season KIR cherry varieties
Stemilt Growers, Licenses for Fruits and Plants (LFP), and Brandt’s Fruit Trees have signed a commercial agreement to grow the KIR series of cherries, a premium selection of late and ultra-late, dark-sweet and blush cherries bred in Germany.
This partnership brings together three multigeneration, family-owned and operated organizations with a shared passion for innovation in tree fruit and a commitment to delivering an exceptional product to consumers. The agreement will allow the company and its licensed growers to extend the cherry season into September while also elevating the consumers' eating experience with the firm's World Famous cherries in July and August.
“Stemilt has been visiting LFP’s test blocks in Germany for almost 10 years now, so we are excited to see this long-term project move to the commercial stage,” explained company President, West Mathison.
Stemilt is extending the cherry season with KIR
KIR is the brand name for a series of sweet cherries developed by Hilmar Gräb in Kettig, Germany. The Gräb family is focused on developing optimal cherry characteristics such as size, firmness, and flavor in the late and ultra-late ripening windows.
Brandt’s Fruit Trees is a family-run farming and nursery operation, and the program manager for KIR cherries in the US. The Brandt family works closely with global breeding programs and growers to introduce unique, high-quality fruit varieties to the marketplace.
Their stewardship of the KIR program aligns with the company’s longstanding mission to lead the industry in cherry innovation.
“Brandt’s Fruit Trees prides itself on cultivating long‑term relationships with breeders and growers alike,” said Kevin Brandt, Vice President and COO at Brandt’s Fruit Trees. “We love to see great products build great partnerships, and we’re proud to be part of this new and exciting program that will bring excellent cherries well into the summer months.”
This collaboration positions the firm to further expand its high-altitude A Half Mile Closer to the Moon cherry program through the introduction of late-ripening, late-harvesting KIR cherries. Stemilt cherry grower and owner Kyle Mathison explained that the fruit will greatly benefit from the company's orchard locations, which offer warm days and cool nights that promote sugars, aromatics, and firmness in late summer.
"We are thrilled to have found an exceptional cherry grower, Kyle Mathison, in Washington State and to be launching the commercial phase of the KIR Cherries,” said Hilmar Gräb, the breeder of KIR cherries. “These varieties are ideally suited to Stemilt Hill's high-altitude orchards, where they produce high-quality and unique cherries that ripen well into September."
Plantings of the KIR cherry varieties began at Stemilt and licensed growers in 2024 and are poised to become an important component of the company’s cherry program in the years ahead. These new selections are expected to help balance and extend the late-season cherry supply, supporting a more consistent and reliable end-of-season offering.
“Cherries are Stemilt’s passion,” said West Mathison. “We’re focused on cherry innovation, and this agreement marks a pivotal moment in [the company's] history as we work to extend the season further into September. We look forward to growing some of the season’s best cherries in partnership alongside other family tree fruit growers.”
* All images courtesy of Stemilt Growers.
Related stories
Stemilt Growers and Farmland LP expand organic orchards in joint venture
USDA proposes new size standards for Washington sweet cherries
Subscribe to our newsletter
