As our beautiful northern Michigan summer winds down and the tourists and summer folk head home, we too are enjoying a slower pace, along with the cooler, dry air that has moved into our neck of the woods. With the start of school just a week away, and sports practices already cranking up, we give thanks for another wonderful summer season.

During September, Brownwood Acres/ FruitFast is offering Free Shipping on ALL orders of FruitFast Softgels.  This offer – back by popular demand – makes it the perfect time to stock up on any or all varieties of our line of healthy fruit softgels.  If you are thinking of switching from one of the juice concentrates to fruit softgels, free shipping may make the difference.  The softgels can actually be cheaper than the cost of the concentrates per day, depending on your shipping location.

The offer is good all this month and applies only to softgel orders.  If you add other products to your order, you will be charged shipping, but only on the additional items.

We appreciate your business and continued confidence in our quality, USA grown and manufactured line of fruit products.  Contact us online or by calling us toll free, 1.877.591.3101.

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This being harvest time is the perfect reason – and season – to be taking care of yourself and eating well.  Whether it’s corn on the cob, flavorful vine-ripened tomatoes, juicy, sweet peaches, plums and berries, the selection is endless.

There’s just no excuse not to eat fresh and eat locally produced fruits and vegetables.  Fiber, vitamins and minerals plus hundreds of phytonutrients can be found in dark-skinned fruits and veggies, and according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, some fruits are better than others.

Health officials say to feel and look your best and to age well and stay healthy, a good diet is essential.  Those who eat 10 or more servings of fruit and vegetables a day have higher levels of antioxidants in their bloodstream, as one important benefit.

Red tart cherries, wild blueberries, pomegranates, cranberries and red and black raspberries all fall into the category of Super Fruits – and FruitFast has come up with the perfect solution to their year-round availability!  And you have a choice of how to enjoy all their healthy benefits.

Try FruitFast softgels in six different fruit varieties for joint health and cardiovascular care.  There’s a whole line of fruit juice concentrates to choose from, potent fruit liquids from FruitFast to take by the spoonful or cook with, plus CherryFlex ProSport Shots to speed relief of muscle soreness following exercise.

So no matter what time of year, where you are or what you are doing, there’s no excuse not to be eating fruit and enjoying their Super health benefits.

Call tollfree 1 877-591-3101 or order online your daily quotient of FruitFast!

CherryFlex is proud to be a sponsor of Cherry-Roubaix, promoting healthy physical activity for the whole family.

The CherryFlex Express will be in the center of activity this next week for the Third Annual Cherry-Roubaix – a bike race series set for August 27 to 29 in Traverse City, Michigan.  It’s three great races and one great ride in a fun-filled weekend of cycling for all ages.

“Each year the event grows in participants and spectators,” said an event founder and committee member Bob McLain.  “We are expecting hundreds of cyclists – some coming from as far away as California.”

The CherryFlex Express has been covering the miles this summer, too, promoting CherryFlex ProSport Shots, our new great-tasting tart cherry gel that speeds relief of muscle soreness post-exercise*.  The world of cycling is a perfect pairing for our whole family of quality fruit products designed to deliver the power of fruit.

See you on the course!

Here it is – August already.   The summer months have been packed in these parts with warm, sometimes hot, temperatures, plenty of outdoor activities, festivals, family and friend outings and visitors.

Janet and I have been on the go, too, traveling around in the CherryFlex Express – better known to us as “the bus.”  We have participated in several parades, been on hand for canoe and bike races, queen events and agricultural gatherings.  And we are not done yet.

While passing out CherryFlex ProSports Shot pouches at a National Cherry Festival bike ride, we were pleasantly surprised to learn that the news about super fruit benefits is spreading.

During our missionary work on behalf of the fruit industry, many of the riders were already aware of the muscle and joint soreness relief that cherries can provide.  They were already making cherry products a regular part of their training regimen.

And though that was welcome news to our gang, in a way I’m not surprised.

The industry’s official website – choosecherries - is focused on promoting the healthful benefits of tart cherry consumption.  Cherry juice, juice concentrate and our tasty pouches filled with tart cherry paste (Cherry Flex ProSports Shots) are among the tart cherry-based products linked to providing antioxidant health benefits.  There’s even a Red Recovery Routine page provided by the Cherry Marketing Institute to help athletes improve their performance with a smart mix of foods.  Further, a Power Team comprised of a decathlon gold medalist, nationally recognized sports dietitian, and ultra-marathoner, has been formed to add credibility and updates to the use of tart cherries in training routines.

At last, tart cherries are gaining some richly deserved recognition.  The truth is that this Super Fruit has among the highest level of antioxidants, anthocyanins, and phytonutrients, providing the nutrition required by active people.

Don’t be left out.  Visit our website or call toll free 1 877.591.3101 for your cherry fix!

Rarely does a day go by that we don’t hear at least one personal success story from a customer.  We’d like to share this one, as it sends a good message of the merits of healthy living.  Have a story to share?  We’d like to hear from you…  Steve de Tar

“I’m one of those not-so-young Moms, age 37, who discovered running following the birth of our two children.

It was hard to lose the weight following childbirth, plus I was feeling house-bound, despite operating my own business. To put it simply, I needed to do something ‘for me.’

Runners I’d pass on my road trips seemed to be in such great physical condition and I was impressed that they could cover long distances – on foot.  After walking for a couple weeks with the stroller, I decided to take the leap – and first stride – convinced that I could do this!

That was the start of a running career that has resulted in a significant weight loss, a new outlook and two pre-schooler fans that want to be runners, too. What keeps me moving and exceeding past milestones? I’ve been running without the sore muscles that plague many athletes following strenuous exercise.

Every day, I take two CherryFlex ProSports Shots, an easy to swallow gel that reminds me of cherry pie without the crust.   Two months ago, I was logging 30-35 miles weekly with my PB (personal best) an 11 mile run.  Today I’m up to 38-42 miles a week with a new long distance PB of 14 miles.

Through all this training my joints and muscles have not been a problem, thanks to the extra strength ProSport Shots.  I even take it on the days I don’t run.  And if I miss a day, the telltale results are fatigued muscles with some soreness for the first 2.5 to 4 miles on my usual 8-10-mile route.

By comparison, a running friend who has completed several half-marathons and is training for a full one, was very sore following the recent 15k National Cherry Festival run. Anyone who has run that course knows that McKinley Hill is a runner’s ‘a-ha’ moment.  My friend walked it and was sore.  I ran it with no post-race effects.  The difference? CherryFlex ProSports Shots.  I’m sure of it.

In the meantime, my present goal is to run a half-marathon.  In terms of assistance, my plan is to stick with what has gotten me to this point: CherryFlex ProSports Shots!”

Jill P.,  Michigan

With the tart cherry harvest winding down, there is no better time to stock up on FruitFast’s quality line of Montmorency Tart Cherry products.

This is especially true with FruitFast Tart Cherry Juice Concentrate.

Juice concentrate prices will be going up next month but there is still time to take advantage of current pricing —  if you place your order in July!

The 2010 growing season has been an unusual one, producing far fewer tart cherries than last year’s bumper crop.  Above normal spring temperatures forced the fruit trees to blossom early, only to be hit by several frosts.  This has forced growers and processors to be very selective with allocating the cherry crop for frozen, dried, dessert and juice concentrate use.

FruitFast is working hard to secure the best tart cherry juice concentrate pricing for our customers as a result.  While a cost increase cannot be avoided for concentrate, we are holding our current prices through the end of July.

Be assured that FruitFast will hold any juice concentrate increases to the minimum required to cover only our costs.

Order today and save.  Toll free 1.877.591.3101 or order online.

Some exercise gurus say “If it hurts, it’s helping.”

According to WebMD.com, that statement is often true.

“Muscle soreness is a natural outcome of any kind of physical activity,” says Rick Sharp, professor of exercise physiology at Iowa State University in Ames.  Especially when that activity is strenuous and new to the body.

Exercise experts have a name for this gradually increasing discomfort that occurs between 24 and 48 hours after activity:  Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).  It generally occurs when the muscle is used during an eccentric or a lengthening contraction, such as running downhill or performing bicep curls.

Experts say that no one is immune to muscle soreness, not even professional athletes.  It is not a sign to stop exercising, but usually means that your muscles are getting stronger.

Research scientists have found CherryFlex® supplementation prior to and during strenuous exercise may have a protective effect on sore muscles.  Read more about the results of this Winona State University study that was presented at the American College of Sports Medicine Convention in Seattle.

To help speed muscle recovery,  check out CherryFlex products from FruitFast. Available in popular regular strength softgels or the new ProSport Shots that are extra strength.

Call toll free 877 591-3101 or order online for quick delivery right to your door.

And by all means, keep exercising!

Gels really are not new, in fact, they have been around for awhile.

We use it in our hair.

We use it in our food.

We use it in our tool chests.

And sometimes to promote a ‘performance best….’

There’s just something that smacks of a comfortable ritual when tearing off the tab of a cute CherryFlex ProSports Shot pouch, and havin’ a go at the yummy cherry gel paste inside.  Aside from the fact it’s a superb way of consuming 5 grams of antioxidants found in tart cherry paste, perhaps the ritual aspect of the process harkens to the kid in all of us?

Some might remember when the coming of spring meant the appearance of Lick-a-Maid packets at the corner grocery store.  It came in small envelopes that were easy for school kids to smuggle into the classroom.  It was like Kool-Aid, but you just poured the crystals into your mouth.  Grape, cherry, lime, lemon, orange.  The telltale colored tongues of users were easy targets for classroom disciplinarians.  But those powder packets were as much a coming of spring as playing a pick-up game of baseball in the neighborhood sandlot.

Yep, Bobby Sue, those were the days.

Now there’s ProSports Shots.  They’re actually fun and easy to take.  They taste great and they are good for you.

And not unlike the Lick-a-Maid packets of the 50’s, there’s just something about those cute CherryFlex pouches, the tear away tab, and consuming the invigorating taste of tart cherry paste that’s habit-forming.

So join the fun…or as one of our growing legion of ProSports Shot users says:  “Firing one back!!!”

Two hundred bicyclists celebrated the Fourth of July pedaling with CherryFlex.

The riders – ages 4 to 80 – took part in the annual Old Mission Peninsula Bike Tour as part of the National Cherry Festival in Traverse City, Michigan.  They rode a 22 or 35 mile route on winding roads through rolling farmland, laced with cherry orchards and spectacular bay views on all sides.

“We had a great time last year, so that’s why we’re back again,” said Bill Gast of Elk Rapids.

Bill and Mardi Gast sample CherryFlex ProSport Shots.

Each participant received a complimentary sample of FruitFast’s new CherryFlex ProSport Shot – the easy, convenient way to enjoy the health benefits of red tart cheriries.  Each pouch contains a tart cherry gel that’s great tasting and helps speed recovery of muscle fatigue…something every biker experiences on long treks.

Mardi Gast, a long-distance rider who enjoys biking the Northeast states each fall, was quick to down her free sample, saying she enjoys the shots for their help with maintaining healthy joint function and flexibility.*

Be sure to share your sporting experiences and photos with us for posting on our website and on Facebook.  And if you want to order the new ProSport Shot, give us a call toll free at 877-591-3101 or order online – it’s quick and easy.

There can be absolutely no doubt that the 84^th running of the National Cherry Festival is underway!

Record crowds have poured into the Grand Traverse region of northern lower Michigan for one of the country’s largest and longest running festivals.  Hundreds of thousands of people are expected to descend on the Cherry Capital of the World over the next week to celebrate this amazing healthy fruit and to just have fun. There is something for everyone – performances by the Blue Angels, pie-eating contests, bike tours, dog jumping competitions and amusement rides, plus nightly entertainment.

Unfamiliar with the Montmorency red tart cherry?  Well, visit cherryflex.com and learn about the many benefits from this ruby-colored fruit, including its antioxidant properties for maintaining healthy joints, cardiovascular health and  healthy immune systems.*

With summer activities at their peak, this is THE time to become familiar with the benefits of FruitFast products.  Whether you enjoy walking, running, tennis, golf or are young or old, FruitFast’s exclusive process condenses the tart cherry into a thick paste that includes the skin and pulp.  This is where the cherry’s antioxidants reside.  Scientific studies show that CherryFlex helps maintain health joints* and speeds relief of muscle fatigue* – perfect for those on the go.

You have a wide choice of FruitFast products and all are made from quality, whole fruit without preservatives or additives in a process that does not apply high heat or solvents.

Choose from our popular line of fruit softgels, cherry juice concentrate or our newest product: CherryFlex ProSport Shots.  Taken orally, this delicious tart cherry gel is convenient and all pure fruit.

Help us celebrate tart cherries at www.cherryflex.com!