Cherry picking is well and truly underway here at Thomas Bros, and we couldn't be more excited!

Our cherry orchard might be the smallest on the property at just 2.5 hectares, but don't let that fool you, it punches well above its weight and is honestly one of our favourite parts of the business. We're among the first orchards in New Zealand to kick off cherry season each year, with harvest running from mid-November right through to mid-January.

This year is looking absolutely stunning. We grow nine varieties to keep the season going as long as possible, starting with the early-cropping Earlise and working through to some real crowd pleasers. If you haven't tried our Samba cherries yet, put it on your list, large, dark, and intensely flavoured, they are something special. And our Skeena cherries are living up to their reputation too, almost black when ripe and ridiculously sweet.

Right now our team is out in the orchard every day bringing in the harvest — and there is nothing quite like seeing the trees loaded up with fruit under our rain cloth covers. Yes, the Dehra Doon Valley keeps us on our toes weather-wise, but that's exactly why we covered the orchard - consistent quality every single year!

Don't forget... if you're passing by during the season, pop into the Thomas Bros cherry and real fruit ice cream stall.Every scoop comes topped with a freshly picked cherry from just down the road. Need we say more?