Produce business seems to be doing well in the Twin Cities area as fall approaches, at least in part due to consumer reaction to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Fresh wholesale produce sales have actually shown double-digit increases since the start of COVID-19 in early March,” said Pat Miller, vice president of Russ Davis Wholesale Inc., Wadena, Minn.
Honeycrisp apples are top of mind at Russ Davis.
“Local, new crop apples will be plentiful again this fall,” Miller said.
Local cooking vegetables like summer and winter squash, peppers and tomatoes are plentiful this time of year as well, he said.
“We are also in the heart of local russet potatoes and onions, as well as some of the nicest carrots of the year.”
But late summer is not a time that many sale records are broken in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
“We see a small decline in produce volume this time of year,” Miller said, with local gardens in full swing and summer vacations coming to an end.
The Twin Cities area seemed to be experiencing sales trends similar to the rest of the country.
“During COVID-19 time, it seems like retail has been doing really, really well, where foodservice has suffered,” said John Rotondo, manager at Twin City Produce Inc., Edina, Minn.
“We do more retail, so we were really busy, but now things are returning more to normal,” he said in mid-August.
Some of the company’s hot commodities in late August are local squashes and Colorado peaches, he said.
Apples are a big commodity year-round, he added.
Rotondo said there’s good reason for those in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area to be optimistic about the local market.
“We have a lot of Fortune 500 companies here, so it seems to be a real healthy economy.”
There’s also a very diverse population, he said.
“There’s kind of a market for everything.”
Mark Remold, purchasing manager for G.O. Fresh, a Minneapolis-based processor that serves the foodservice industry, said some items appear to be moving better than others.
“Our romaine numbers are pretty much on par with where they should be,” he said, and broccoli and cauliflower have done very well. But sales of cantaloupes and honeydews have dropped compared to past years.Carrot sales also are down, and green, red and yellow bell peppers have been “up and down like a yo-yo.”
Like many produce distributors, St. Paul-based Co-Op Partners Warehouse was trying to make up lost foodservice business with increased sales to retailers, said Tom Rodmyre, warehouse director.
Business was “rampant” when the pandemic hit in March, he said, “when people were hoarding, like they would never be able to leave their homes again.”
“Then they figured it out — they don’t need 20 cans of beans in their pantry.”
Melons, local cucumbers and local bell peppers will be available in late August as the corn season is winding down, he said.
Hard squash will start in mid-September.
Onions and potatoes run pretty much year-round, Rodmyre said.
“As little as five years ago, that wasn’t the case.”
Growers learned that implementing certain production practices like cooling potatoes and onions right after harvest helped stretch their seasonality, he said.
“They invested in coolers and in their businesses so they would be able to handle product for a longer time.”
Few produce categories saw a sales increase during the pandemic like potatoes.
“Because of the COVID scare, people were actually going in and buying multiple bags of potatoes,” said Kevin Olson, owner of Ben Holmes Potato Inc., Becker, Minn.
The fact that potatoes store well put them at the top of many shopping lists, he said.
Olson, who sells red, white, yellow and russet potatoes from three area farmers, said one of his sheds went from 60% capacity to 100% after the coronavirus hit.
Related Content:
Loffredo Fresh opens Minneapolis distribution center
