Jealous Fruits is pleased to announce that Mr. Ken Shukin and his family are joining the Jealous Fruits family. Ken, his wife BJ, and five grown children, produce some of the world's finest sweet cherries. The Shukin orchards are located in the beautiful Creston Valley of BC, 300 KM east of Kelowna. Creston is a very late district, situated in a beautiful mountain valley at 2000 feet elevation, moderated by 80 mile long Kootenay lake.
This year, Ken will be starting Lapin harvest this coming weekend on the earliest blocks. The harvest will run right through until August 20th, with Sweethearts and Staccatos following in sequence. The Shukins have invested in bin hydrocooling, and have excellent cold storage facilities to stage their fruit, prior to shipment to our Duck Lake facility for packing and sales.
The Geen family, owners of Jealous Fruits, have a long connection with the Shukin family, and are honoured to be partnering with this stellar family. The Shukins are prominent growers in Creston, and renown for the quality of their cherries. Ken, his father John, and grandfather Nick, have all raised cherries in the Creston Valley since 1935, and have deep roots in the industry. Members of the Geen family and Shukin family have served together on industry boards going back decades, and the families have similar outlooks and commitment to quality cherry production. We look forward to a lasting partnership in the decades to come.
The Shukin family presently have 280 acres of sweet cherries planted, much of it young trees on the verge of production, and with more new plantings on the drawing board. 2020 production is estimated at 650 tons, with all of that production in the July 25th to August 20th harvest window.