After sourcing from California, Mexico and Florida for the past several months, distributors and wholesalers in Colorado finally can look to local growers for their fresh fruits and vegetables.
The domestic blueberry season was kicking off in mid-April with harvesting already underway in Georgia, said Victoria De Bruin, marketing manager for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.
California’s strawberry crop seemed to be gradually returning to normal volume this spring after a rainy winter that delayed picking early in the season.
From grapes to grapefruit, sales of organic fruit are on the rise, and suppliers anticipate ample volume of good-quality product for the late spring and summer months.
Organic produce sales may be no longer be escalating at a double-digit rate, but retailers, foodservice operators and grower-shippers say movement continues to trend upward.
Growers in California’s Kern County say their vegetable and fruit crops typically are starting a week or so later than usual this spring, but ample rainfall and plenty of chill hours during the winter should result in abundant supplies and very good quality this spring.
While some grower-shippers may see the Mexican state of Jalisco as a gateway to a head start for that country’s table grape deal, others want no part of it, or at least are taking a wait-and-see attitude.
Bakersfield, Calif.-based Anthony Vineyards is expanding its cold storage facilities by 50,000 square feet to accommodate new table grape varieties, said Bob Bianco, co-owner.
The Mexican table grape deal may be getting off to a slightly later start than usual this season, but grower-shippers expect volume to be significantly higher than last year.
