Very big, firm, a high sugar content, a long shelf-life and on top of that early-ripening and with a long stalk. This is more or less the description of a new series of cherry varieties that are already available in Chile under the umbrella brand MEDA™ and will become available for planting in Europe shortly.
The varieties were primarily selected for the export of cherries from Chile to China. There is especially a need of early-ripening varieties (before the varieties Santina and Kordia) with good post-harvest characteristics, suitable for export by ship to China.
Read more on this in an article published in the EFM October edition