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Blog

A Message From Our President

Posted by Sarah M on Mar 13th 2020

To our loyal Citizens,Cherry Republic values the trust both our customers and employees place in us and we take this responsibility seriously. We understand the growing concern surrounding coronavirus (COVID-19) across our communities, and our hearts go out to all those who've been impacted. Cherry Republic is working around the clock to ensure we're able to keep our customers and our ambassadors healthy and safe. To ensure our staff and customers safety, we are doing the following:We are freque ...

2020 Focus On Cherries

Posted by Bob Sutherland on Jan 13th 2020

Bob Sutherland and Nels Veliquette, CFO of CherryKe, looking toward the future1-17-20 UPDATE:The International Trade Commission on Wednesday decided to reverse its earlier implementation of preliminary tariffs on dried tart cherries from Turkey. Our friend Nels Veliquette (pictured above with Bob) was quoted in the Detroit News as saying this ruling "represents a body blow to an industry that was already struggling in the commodities cycle." While this is indeed a hard knock, we are hopeful ...

What A Difference A Decade Makes

Posted by Mary W. on Dec 27th 2019

For those of us who have been around Cherry Republic awhile, it's hard to believe that at the start of the 2010s we only had two retail stores! Our flagship campus in Glen Arbor grew little by little since Bob started the company in 1989 out of the trunk of his car, and then our second location was added in 2007 in downtown Traverse City. As we round the corner into 2020, we are bursting with pride when we consider our six thriving stores scattered throughout out beautiful state of Michigan.Over ...

Going Solar In Leelanau County

Posted by Mary W on Aug 2nd 2019

Cherry Republic President Bob Sutherland's love of environmental causes is well documented. On the board of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters, he is a vocal supporter of renewable energy, and he has spoken out passionately about his love for the Great Lakes and his determination to shut down the Line 5 Pipeline running beneath the Straits of Mackinac. So you might not be surprised to hear that many Cherry Republic employees share that same passion. Two of those employees -- Laura ...

Now Is The Time To Shut Down Line 5

Posted by Mary W on Jul 12th 2019

If you've followed Cherry Republic for long, you know that we are big opponents of the Line 5 oil pipeline that runs under the Straits of Mackinac. Things are reaching a critical point at our state government over this issue, and now is the time that our voices need to be heard. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Attorney General Dana Nessel made strong campaign pledges to shut down Line 5 due to the risk of a catastrophic oil spill, and they are now attempting to follow through on those comm ...

Spreading Cherry Love to China

Posted by Mary W on Jun 14th 2019

Cherry Republic was honored to welcome world-renown social media influencer Jessica Beinecke to our Glen Arbor campus this week as part of her whirlwind trip to Northern Michigan. Jessica created her Chinese/English digital travel series I Know This Spot as a way to introduce Chinese travelers and foodies to U.S. destinations that aren't as well known internationally. "One of the top things Chinese travelers want to do is have unique culinary experiences, and everything in here definitely ...

Port Oneida Ski

Posted by Mary W on Feb 14th 2019

On Sunday, my family and I skied across some beautiful secret terrain in the most difficult to get to sections of Port Oneida Historic District. We dropped our car off on Port Oneida Road and then climbed into our truck and drove four miles to a spot between Bass Lake and Narada and skied some woods and hilly fields east of M-22. The snow was perfect for making gentle turns through the junipers and wild cherry trees. Then, the boys and I went to cross Narada Lake by the beaver dam on the ...

Skiing The Dunes

Posted by andi@cherryrepublic.com on Feb 8th 2019

All the snow and cold of the Polar Vortex left much of the Dunes covered in snow, so Steph and I dropped a car off at Sleeping Bear Point and parked another at the start of the Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive with a plan to ski the entire Dunes. We left at 3 p.m. on Saturday afternoon having no idea how long it would take. But the temperature and winds were mild, so if we were out longer than intended, we’d be OK. For the first half of our ski, we didn’t think to take photos. This was the fi ...

The 2019 Polar Vortex

Posted by Mary W on Feb 1st 2019

I thought it would be fun to share my Polar Vortex experience in words and photos. I love subzero cold and fresh snow, so this is going to be a positive review. If you wanted to hear complaints, I don’t know where to send you because everyone in my life seems pretty happy with this extreme winter experience. Ok, I will start with when I was least happy with this cold. I took the boys on a drive around the county on our coldest day to see what it was like in our community. I stopped at the ...

31 Days of Giving - 2018

Posted by Mary W on Dec 21st 2018

Once again, Cherry Republic will be selecting worthy recipients throughout the month of December during our 6th annual "31 Days of Giving" campaign. This year, we'll be focusing in a special way on partnering with organizations that are helping to combat climate change and promote the use of renewable energy. Please check back daily as we update this post! January 1, 2019 Update: Congratulations to all of our worthy 31 Days of Giving recipients for 2018! We are proud and humbled to have ...

An Evening Supporting MLCV With Bob + Steph

Posted by andrewm on Aug 1st 2018

Cherry Republic President Bob Sutherland and his wife, Stephanie, are hosting a party at the new Cherry Public House in Glen Arbor to support Michigan League of Conservation Voters (MLCV). We will discuss the current state of Michigan’s waterways and our vision for a powerful conservation voters movement in 2018 and beyond. Please come join Bob and Steph and many other like-minded lovers of Michigan's woods and waters to see what actions we can take to protect them for generations to come. P ...

The May Farm: Harvesting Sunlight

Posted by andrewm on May 18th 2018

It seems fitting to write a blog post about a solar grant project against the backdrop of spring’s lengthening days. The plants, animals and humans on the farm are harvesting every extra minute of daylight, faces tilted toward the sun. Our interest in solar energy was ignited by the 70’s “back to the land" movement and reading Foxfire books. Decades later it was re-ignited by the 90’s “regenerative farming” movement and reading books by Michael Pollan, Joel Salatin and Wendell Berry. Thus, ...

Sneak Peek: The Cherry Public House!

Posted by andrewm on May 11th 2018

Our new Cherry Public House is one week away from opening.  It is looking fantastic and we are so excited.   Here is a little sneak peak as we finish up the zillion final details. Here is a view from the front of the newly renovated building.  You see new windows and doors, a new patio, and a new paint color with a first coat that's looking a little bit too orange.  This renovation into a brewery and full service restaurant serving dinners, dinners, and more dinners was a big job. We ripped ...

Some Northern Winter Fun

Posted by andrewm on Feb 16th 2018

        It has been a few years since our winter has been cold enough to produce abundant Lake Michigan ice.  We saw it a few days ago while hiking Pyramid Point.  I knew we would be on a beach soon to explore all the beautiful blue and winter whiteness.   There was so much variety -- from bright blue puddles like this... .... to dense pack ice that has filled Sleeping Bear Bay and half the Manitou Passage... ... to a frozen beach with big chunks of sandy ice ...

Detroit Tigers In The Republic

Posted by andrewm on Jan 26th 2018

A line of eager Detroit Tigers fans snaked through our Traverse City store and down Front Street yesterday afternoon, hoping for the chance to snap a selfie with soon-to-be Hall of Famer Alan Trammell and pitchers Shane Greene and Daniel Stumpf as the Detroit Tigers Winter Caravan rolled into Northern Michigan. The three players happily served up free samples of cherry pie, ice cream and Sour Cherry Patches for about 30 minutes, while chatting with fans and posing for photos. The spirited event ...