Northern Michigan company shares firsthand perspective on how tart cherry marketing, consumer demand and products have evolved since 2001

Bellaire, MI (PRUnderground) September 24th, 2026

When Traverse Bay Farms began selling tart cherry products in 2001, consumers discovered specialty foods in a very different way.

There was no Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. Online shopping was still developing. Search engines played a much smaller role in purchasing decisions, and artificial intelligence was not part of the consumer discovery process.

For Traverse Bay Farms, that meant building awareness of tart cherry products one customer at a time. It also meant leaning into winning 38+ national food awards, making Traverse Bay Farms America's #1 award-winning super fruit brand.

Twenty-five years later, the Northern Michigan company has watched the tart cherry market evolve from a relatively specialized category into one that includes tart cherry juice, dried tart cherries, powders, cherry capsules, sauces, salsas, preserves and a growing range of recipes and food-pairing ideas.

As Traverse Bay Farms celebrates its 25th year in business, co-founder Andy LaPointe is reflecting on how tart cherry marketing, consumer demand and product development have changed since 2001.

"When we started, one of the biggest challenges was simply introducing people to tart cherry products and explaining what they could do with them," LaPointe said. "Today, consumers often come to us after they have already researched tart cherries online. The conversation has completely changed."

From Introducing the Product to Consumer Education

In the early years, much of the marketing challenge involved basic consumer education.

Customers wanted to know what tart cherry juice concentrate was, how to make cherry juice, what Montmorency tart cherries were and how tart cherries differed from the sweet cherries commonly eaten fresh.

Today, many consumers arrive with more specific questions.

They may be looking for tart cherry juice concentrate recipes, dried tart cherries, tart cherry products made with Michigan cherries, food-pairing ideas or information about how tart cherry products are produced.

"The customer is much more informed than they were 25 years ago," LaPointe said. "They may already know the product category before they ever find our company. Our job has shifted from simply introducing tart cherries to helping people understand the differences between products and how they can use them."

Tart Cherry Marketing Has Moved From Store Shelves to Search

The way consumers discover food brands may be one of the biggest changes Traverse Bay Farms has experienced.

In 2001, specialty food marketing relied heavily on retail displays, catalogs, newspaper coverage, trade shows, word of mouth and face-to-face conversations.

Today, discovery can begin with a Google search, a YouTube video, a recipe, a social media post or an answer generated by an AI system.

That shift has changed what it means to market a food product.

"A label and a shelf position used to do much more of the selling," LaPointe said. "Now consumers may spend time researching a product before they ever see the package. They want recipes and background information."

For Traverse Bay Farms, that has made educational content an increasingly important part of marketing.

The company has developed recipes, product guides, food-pairing ideas, videos and educational resources designed to answer the same questions consumers are entering into search engines and AI tools.

Tart Cherries Have Moved Far Beyond Dessert

Product usage has changed as well.

Tart cherries have long been associated with pies, cobblers and other desserts. While those traditional uses remain important, Traverse Bay Farms has seen growing interest in using cherry products throughout the day.

Tart cherry juice concentrate can be used in beverages, smoothies, sauces, salad dressings, marinades and glazes.

Dried tart cherries can be added to oatmeal, salads, baked goods, trail mixes and savory dishes.

Cherry products have also moved into gourmet categories such as salsa, barbecue sauce and preserves. Traverse Bay Farms has won national awards in all of these product categories.

"One of the things we have focused on is helping customers see tart cherries as more than a dessert ingredient," LaPointe said. "Cherry flavor can work in breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and beverages. That opens up an entirely different way for people to think about the fruit."

Product Development Has Followed Consumer Curiosity

Traverse Bay Farms began in 2001 with a much smaller product assortment than it offers today.

Over the years, the company expanded into tart cherry juice concentrate, dried cherries, cherry salsa, preserves, sauces, powders and other fruit-based foods.

That evolution has been driven in part by changing consumer habits.

Consumers increasingly want products that are easy to use, versatile and capable of fitting into existing routines.

A bottle of tart cherry juice concentrate, for example, may begin as a beverage product but can also become an ingredient in a smoothie, glaze, dressing or recipe.

"For us, product development has always been connected to how people actually use food," LaPointe said. "Sometimes the best product opportunity comes from listening to what customers are already trying to do."

Ecommerce Changed the Relationship Between Brands and Customers

The growth of ecommerce also dramatically changed the tart cherry business.

A regional specialty food company once depended heavily on customers visiting stores or discovering products while traveling.

Online shopping removed much of that geographic limitation.

Consumers across the country could discover Northern Michigan tart cherry products without ever visiting Michigan.

But ecommerce also created greater competition and greater transparency.

Customers could compare products, ingredients, prices, reviews and brands almost instantly.

"That forced food companies to become better communicators," LaPointe said. "You have to explain who you are, what makes your product different and why a customer should trust you."

Social Media Turned Customers Into Participants

Social media introduced another major change.

Instead of brands controlling most of the conversation, customers could now post reviews, photos, recipes and opinions publicly.

For food companies, that created an ongoing feedback loop.

Products were no longer simply marketed to consumers. Consumers became part of the marketing process.

"What customers say about your product can now travel farther than almost anything the company says about itself," LaPointe said. "That has made authenticity and customer experience even more important."

Video Changed Food Marketing Again

Online video added another layer.

Food is visual, and video gives consumers an opportunity to see exactly how a product is used.

Traverse Bay Farms has increasingly used video to demonstrate recipes, product uses and food-pairing ideas.

Instead of explaining that cherry salsa can be used in a particular dish, a video can show the entire process in seconds.

That shift from describing food to demonstrating it has become an important part of modern food marketing.

AI Is Beginning Another Change in Product Discovery

LaPointe believes artificial intelligence may represent the next major change in how consumers discover specialty foods.

Rather than typing several searches and visiting multiple websites, consumers can increasingly ask an AI assistant a complete question, such as how to use tart cherry juice concentrate or what foods pair well with cherry salsa.

That means companies must think beyond traditional advertising.

They also need clear, useful and well-organized information that can answer consumer questions.

"We have gone from shelf marketing to search marketing, then social media and video," LaPointe said. "Now we are entering a period where AI may become another major way consumers learn about products. The common thread is that useful information continues to matter."

25 Years of Listening to the Customer

Despite all of the technological change, LaPointe believes one principle has remained constant.

Listen to the customer.

The tools used to listen have changed -- from face-to-face conversations and phone calls to reviews, website searches, social comments and digital analytics -- but the value of paying attention has not.

"Marketing technology changes constantly," LaPointe said. "What hasn't changed is that customers tell you what they want if you pay attention. They tell you through their questions, what they buy, what they search for and how they use the products."

For Traverse Bay Farms, 25 years in the tart cherry business has provided an unusual opportunity to watch those behaviors evolve in real time.

The company plans to continue expanding its educational resources around Montmorency tart cherries, tart cherry juice concentrate, cherry juice concentrate recipes, dried tart cherries, food pairings and Northern Michigan's tart cherry industry.

"The products may keep evolving and the way people discover them will certainly keep changing," LaPointe said. "But our job is still very similar to what it was in 2001: listen to the customer, provide a quality product and help them understand how to use it."