Cherry Republic is set to expand its Empire campus this summer with nearly $3 million in investments along with a seventh retail store.
“We are in the first phase and actively placing steel right now,” Cherry Republic Vice President of Fulfillment Roni Hazelton said.
The expansion, which was announced in 2024, broke ground in December, includes consolidating several storage rental facilities in Benzie County.
“This expansion puts Cherry Republic in a new position,” owner Bob Sutherland said. “Our last 35 years, our expansions, we’ve just been playing catch up, but now we will be able to grow in anticipation of the future.”
The project is expected to be completed at the end of summer or August, according to Hazelton.
Along with these announcements, Cherry Republic announced it will be purchasing roughly one million more pounds of Montmorency tart cherry that serves hundreds of products.
“Cherries utilize multiple facets in our products,” Hazelton said.
When asked if they were purchasing Leelanau only cherries, Hazelton declined to get into the specifics.
The new 16,000 square-foot project will make Cherry Republic’s immediate footprint 34,000 square feet. Roughly 20 jobs are expected to come in the Empire area.
Cherry Republic also received a $150,000 grant from the Michigan Commission of Agriculture and Rural Development with an investment program grant. The sum is included in the expansion project, according to MDARD.
Michigan has not had the best luck when it comes to harvesting cherries especially after last year when a disaster declaration was issued.
The cherry store is also its official spot in Mackinac City for the company’s seventh location that is set to open in mid-May.
“Were in a really good location in downtown,” Hazelton said.
The investments come off another dismal cherry growing season that grows as many as 100 to 120 million cherries a year.
In 2024, the state of Michigan saw losses of upward of 75% of their crops after a mild winter that led to a warm and wet season, causing significant insect and disease damage.
In August, local cherry farmers got the attention of Governor Gretchen Whitmer as she requested a Declaration of Disaster from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make available emergency resources for northern Michigan’s cherry producers.
USDA issued disaster declarations for Antrim, Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. All of our products and more production will soon be under one roof. No longer will we need to shuffle supplies and inventory from a freezer in Grawn or storage in Benzonia or freezers in TC.
