Product Description
One look and you’ll notice their bright, ruby-red hue. One taste and the bold, unmistakably tart flavor will keep you coming back. Nearly all tart cherries grown in the U.S. are the Montmorency variety, known for their distinctive flavor and versatility. Harvested at peak ripeness and enjoyed year-round, they’re available in dried, frozen, canned, and juice/concentrate forms, making it easy to add their bold, tart flavor to everything from snacks and smoothies to baked goods, savory dishes and more.
Story Ideas
Consumers Are Craving Bolder, Brighter Flavors: The most exciting flavors aren’t necessarily the sweetest—they’re the ones that balance sweetness with acidity. That tension creates a more complex, craveable eating experience, helping explain the popularity of sour candies, tangy sauces, “swangy” flavor combinations and fruit-forward beverages. Tart cherries bring that same sweet-tart balance naturally, making them an easy way for home cooks to add complexity to everything from breakfast to dinner.
Nostalgia, but Make it New: Cherry is a flavor we already know and love, but its sweet-tart profile is perfectly suited to today’s appetite for bold, sour and more complex flavor experiences—just look at the resurgence of Shirley Temples and tart candies. Tart cherries give a nostalgic favorite a fresh point of view, opening up new ways to enjoy a flavor consumers already recognize.
Do You Know What’s in Your Cherry?: Most consumers hear “cherry” and think of the sweet cherries they eat fresh in summer, but tart and sweet cherries are surprisingly different in taste, appearance, culinary use and research. Not every tart cherry is Montmorency, and that difference shows up in flavor, color, and recovery data. Tart cherries are typically enjoyed dried, frozen, canned or as juice/concentrate, making this a year-round fruit worth getting to know.
Eating for Muscle Recovery: Whether you’re strength training, chasing kids around or simply trying to feel your best, eating for recovery is on the rise. A 2026 research report examined 28 clinical trials around Montmorency tart cherries and muscle-strength recovery, opening the door to a practical look at how tart cherries can fit into post-workout rituals and recovery snacks. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2026.1794292/full
Beyond the Sleepy Girl Mocktail: The viral Sleepy Girl Mocktail put tart cherry juice on the nighttime map, but there are plenty of more creative ways to incorporate its naturally tart flavor into an evening ritual designed for better sleep.
ABOUT
The U.S. Tart Cherry Industry brings together the growers, processors and partners behind the U.S.-grown Montmorency tart cherries enjoyed across the country and world.
The U.S. Cherry Industry Administrative Board (CIAB) administers the Federal Marketing Order for industry, working in partnership with growers, processors, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. CIAB invests in research, market development, data transparency, and industry initiatives that strengthen long-term demand for U.S.-grown Montmorency tart cherries. Through collaborative leadership and strategic investment, CIAB helps position U.S. tart cherries for continued growth at home and around the world. Learn more at https://ustartcherries.com.
