EGG HARBOR, Wis. (NBC 26) — The harvesting of cherries has been a tradition in Door County for more than one hundred years.
Seaquist Orchards has been a part of that tradition since the early 1900s.
"I don't know about experts. I’ve just been doing this for a long time. My father did this and so we just kind of grew into this as what we do for a living," said Jim Seaquist, the general manager of Seaquist Orchards.
"I think last year we harvested a little bit over 10 million pounds on our farm. So, the majority of the Door County harvest we do," said Seaquist.
With the beginning of the Montmorency tart cherry harvest starting the Seaquists have been busy.
They have about 50 workers each year to help with harvesting.
"The cherries are harvested into these containers here, which can hold around 1,200 pounds of cherries each."
And it's big business in our state...
In 2022, the United States Department of Agriculture says 12.9 million pounds of cherries were harvested in Wisconsin.
And that was worth more than $2 million in revenue.
Jim's wife Robin says Door County cherries are pretty popular.
"It's just when you think of Door County you think of cherries," said Robin Seaquist. "I think it's the tradition of it more than anything. "
After asking Jim if he thought Door County cherries were superior to others, he didn't hesitate to answer.
"Yeah, we know they're the best thing," he said.
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