Old Orchard Brands, a Michigan-based juice manufacturer whose roots are apples, has thrown its hat in with cherries in a big way and Leelanau County is right in the heart of it all. Old Orchard is introducing Very Cherre and yes, the misspelling is intentional. It’s a 100 % tart cherry juice created from 100% Montmorency cherries from Leelanau County, making it—according to it’s creators—the world’s first single-varietal cherry juice.

Packaged smartly in squat red glass bottles reminiscent of the cherry itself, Very Cherre’s proprietors play up the cherry juice’s purported health benefits: antioxidants and naturally occurring melatonin, something that helps us with our sleep/wake cycles. The Very Cherre website is filled with information about the benefits of adding cherry juice to your diet, but also builds a mystique around Leelanau County, the Northern Michigan peninsula that grows the majority of tart cherries.

“We chose the Montmorency cherry because it’s higher in these [antioxidants and naturally occuring melatonin] than other varieties of tart cherries,” said Kevin Miller, vice president of marketing for Old Orchards Brands, based in Sparta Michigan. The U.S. cherry crop yields a whopping 200 and 300 tons of tart cherries, with Michigan producing nearly 75 percent.

Each 11-ounce bottle of Very Cherre contains the juice of approximately 150 Montmorency cherries from Leelanau county and nothing else. But Very Cherre producers didn’t stop there. The line of Very Cherre products includes Tart Cherry Pomegranate, Tart Cherry Cranberry and Tart Cherry Blueberry. Gifts sets of four can be had in high-gloss red boxes or individual gift boxes that fall open to reveal a cherry blossom with the distinct bottle nestled inside, making the juice of the cherry very fashionable indeed.

Very Cherre juices retail between $2.99 and $3.99 a bottle and can soon be found at select holistic food stores nationwide. For more information check out verycherre.com.

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