“We can feel that markets are lifting a little bit after a slower couple of years” – Koala Cherries

The new cherry season is less than a month away at Koala Cherries in Victoria, Australia. “We are busily making last-minute preparations for the season, and the whole business is working to a deadline, so everything needs to be finished off and ready to start,” said Michael Rouget, Managing Director at the company.

“The weather has been pretty kind so far. We experienced a little bit of frost damage early on, but came through that to end up with a nice crop. We are just about through the frost danger period, with only about 10 days to go. It has been quite dry the last 6 weeks, and as cherry farmers, we now hope that continues through harvest.”

Koala Cherries grow in 3 regions of Victoria: Cobram in the north, Yarck in north central Victoria, and a high elevation area in the Strathbogie Ranges. They have about 250 hectares producing and a further 50 hectares coming into production over the next few years.

The first picking at Koala Cherries will take place around 12th November, about a week later than normal.

“We have had a pretty good spring. A bit drier than we expected, but we have sufficient irrigation water. Ideal pollination weather is cool and dry. It is still a little bit early to tell exactly what is staying on the tree, but it seems like an excellent crop in the early Cobram region, a medium crop in the mid season-Yarck area, and too early to tell on the late farm, but it flowered really well and we had good conditions for pollination so we expect a good set there also. Overall, I would say a nice medium crop, capable of producing some excellent-sized fruit.”

According to Michael, there is plenty of interest at this stage in planning this season’s sales.Craig Boulton, Michael Rouget, and Chris Chen at Asia Fruit Logistica

“Customers always look forward to the first cherries. We can feel that markets are lifting a little bit after a slower couple of years. Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and China are our main markets; Malaysia and Indonesia also like our cherries. Hong Kong is a favourite of ours that we have supplied for many years. Our brand is well known there and seems to connect well with the people. We’d like to make a start in South Korea, and India is also of interest to us.”

For more information:
Michael Rouget
Koala Cherries Pty Ltd
Tel: +61 3 5773 4250
Email: Michael@koalacherries.com.au
www.koalacherries.com.auPublication date: Thu 23 Oct 2025

© FreshPlaza.com / Nichola McGregor