Cherry Central Headquartered In Traverse City

Traverse City, celebrated as the Cherry Capital of the World, and home to Cherry Central, is located on the shores of Grand Traverse Bay in northern Lower Michigan. Ideally suited for fruit production because of the tempering effects of Lake Michigan, it is here that in 1973, five independent cherry producers formed Cherry Central Cooperative to market and sell their fruit. Tart and sweet cherries were the main focus, but as the growers branched out into other fruits, apples and blueberries were soon included as items to be processed.

As member operations expanded, so did Cherry Central. There are now numerous member cooperatives across the United States, with stockholders representing hundreds of growers in Michigan, New York, Wisconsin, Utah and Washington. With a large grower base such as this, Cherry Central is able to exceed customer expectations, from secure sources of fruit.

Our member-grown fruit serves the retail, foodservice and ingredient markets.

Our strengths are further enhanced by ownership of Kalamazoo-based Dunkley International, a machinery manufacturer that specializes in fruit processing equipment, and Oceana Foods, a fruit drying facility in Shelby, Michigan that processes cherries, blueberries, cranberries, apples, strawberries and other items.