Prairie Cherry drives business for Lumsden fruit growers

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

It’s a short drive from Regina to Lumsden, but it was a long journey for Dean and Sylvia Kreutzer from city dwellers to organic fruit growers. In the six years since they made the leap, they’ve planted 25 acres of fruit trees, begun producing various fruit-based products, and have just opened a dessert bar to go with their store in Lumsden.

Dean was a computer programmer by training and experience, when his backyard fruit tree growing inspired him to begin studying plant breeding, and finally to become a full-time fruit producer.

“It’s four years from the day you plant a tree until your first harvest, so you have lots of time to plan,” he said. “We made the important decision to be not just growers, but also processors and sellers of the finished product.”

Among the 3,000 fruit trees in the Kreutzers’ Over The Hill Orchards near Lumsden, you’ll find apples, apricots, grapes and plums – but their signature product is the Prairie CherryTM. Dean says this hardy fruit is the product of over 60 years of research at the University of Saskatchewan to create a variety that was suited for Saskatchewan growing conditions.

“It’s a tart cherry, with more natural sugars than the B.C. varieties, and a higher acidic content, which creates a full flavour,” he noted. “The fruit retains its colour very well, and does not require much sugar added during processing.”

The Prairie CherryTM is at the heart of the Kreutzers’ most popular product, handmade chocolates with a cherry centre, all made without any artificial additives or preservatives. Natural flavour and colour is important to Dean and Sylvia, who grow all of their fruit using organic farming methods.

“Our fruit must taste good, as well as being healthy,” Dean said. “Most of our customers come to us for the flavour. The fact that we grow organically is secondary.”

Their fruit products, including pie fillings and jams, are currently distributed through stores in Regina, Saskatoon, Yorkton, Prince Albert, Moose Jaw and Fort Qu’Appelle. They have filled e-mail orders from as far away as British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, but Dean says they won’t look at expanding markets until they can keep up with Saskatchewan demand. He estimates that there may be up to 100 Prairie CherryTM growers in Saskatchewan, but only a handful with enough harvest to operate commercially.

The Kreutzer family operation employs three people full-time at the Lumsden store, Prairie Cherry Corner, where they just opened a dessert bar that serves organic coffee. Dean says the biggest challenges of growing fruit in Saskatchewan are weather, markets and capital. However, he is proud of what their operation has done to show the potential diversity that exists for food production in the province.

For more information, contact:

Dean Kreutzer
Prairie Cherry Corner
Phone: (306) 731-1442