Our Story
Product of the U.S.A.
Amidst the green rolling hills of Northern Michigan lie the vast cherry orchards of Shoreline Fruit. This region belongs to North America’s Great Lakes, the largest source of freshwater on earth. This unique climate offers an ideal place to grow the succulent, ruby-red fruit that has become our specialty. Our family of companies and farming operations have generations of producing the best fruit products for the world to enjoy.
A Grower Owned Company
It was during the late 1960s, at Michigan State University FarmHouse Fraternity, when two sets of brothers made plans for the orchards that would one day launch Shoreline Fruit’s cooperative of growers. What began as a few acres of orchards has grown to become what is today, the largest tart cherry operation in North America.
Shoreline Fruit is uniquely positioned to raise the standards of quality throughout the growing, processing and marketing of our products. Our vertically integrated organization includes a cooperative of growers as well as dryers, pitters, packers, freezers, and storage facilities. From the planting of each sapling to the shipping of each order, our family of companies is working together to provide every customer with a consistently superior product and experience.
Tree to Table: How It's Done
Harvesting
During harvest, our orchards are as busy beneath the midnight moon as they are in the midday sun. Picking the cherries right at their prime means working 24 hours a day until the harvest is complete. After being gently shaken from the trees, harvested fruit is transported on cherry-colored school buses that have been custom-converted into flatbed trucks. The cherries are taken to a cooling pad where an innovative, proprietary hydro-cooling system super-cools the fruit to 35°F within the hour, while also recycling the water. The great care with which we harvest our fruit is a crucial step in preparing our exceptional quality products.
Pitting, Packing & Freezing
Shoreline Fruit’s vertically integrated pitting, packing and freezing facilities are strategically located near our orchards, enabling us to process and pack fruit products of the highest quality available anywhere. Our plants are food-safety audited and maintained in adherence to the strictest guidelines for quality.
Drying
We begin the drying process of our sweetened dried fruit with a natural, slow sugar infusion to give our dried cherries, blueberries and cranberries the perfect level of sweetness. The infused fruit moves to a continuous dryer where a carefully determined amount of moisture is removed. Our apples are produced without any added sweeteners. We also offer a variety of unsweetened dried cherries, blueberries and cranberries.
A Family of U.S. Companies & Farming Operations
