A new crop of asparagus is about to burst onto the produce scene, and whether it’s imported or domestic, grower-shippers say consumers are in for a treat.
“Quality looks excellent right now,” Cory Stahl, vice president of sales for Los Angeles-based Progressive Produce, said Jan. 24.
Progressive offers asparagus year-round, sourcing from Mexico, Peru and Washington, but in late January Stahl said he was excited about the new crop that is ramping up out of Caborca in Sonora, Mexico.
That program should peak from mid-February through mid-March, but it will continue through May.
Progressive has been making planting investments over the past three years and has had a significant increase in year-round acreage, Stahl said.
The company will have purple and white asparagus and organic asparagus for the next six months. There will be a small gap during the summer, and they will pick up in fall.
Progressive Produce also offers a full-line bagging program year-round.
In late February, the company plans to launch a rebranding program, changing the brand name of its asparagus from Americas Asparagus to Progressive Farms.
The change will “represent the investments we’ve made in our farming operation over last 10 years,” Stahl said.
“We feel like our messaging will really resonate with shoppers.”
Meanwhile, Five Crowns Marketing Inc., Brawley, Calif., received its first arrivals out of Caborca Jan. 22, about a week later than usual, said Daren Van Dyke, director of marketing.
The late start was due to rainfall, which didn’t allow the ferns to dry down and go into dormancy, he said, which is a necessary step in the production process.
Conditions have since improved.
“The quality looks fantastic,” he said in late January. “We’re in ideal weather right now.”
Brix levels, which measure energy in the crowns, were a little better than last year, he said, which should mean better production.
“The quality started off very, very nice,” he said. “I think we’re going to have a good, promotable season.”
He expected ample volume and good quality for Easter, April 12.
Stockton, Calif.-based Greg Paul Produce Sales Inc. is one of the few California companies that still grows asparagus, said James Paul, director of sales and marketing.
“We’re very proud that we’re still going and providing that product for our local consumers,” he said. The company markets the Delta Queen brand.
“So far, it’s been a good winter,” he said in late January.
He expected good quality from the company’s California asparagus.
“We’ve got asparagus that is in its fourth and fifth years, which are really the stride years,” he said.
The company offers traditional 11-pound and 28-pound cartons as well as an old-time wooden crate.
“We have different customers throughout the U.S. that really pride themselves on offering their consumers a real high-quality product packaged in some of the old-fashioned packaging,” he said.
He expects to have California asparagus through most of May.
Paul also represents Crystal Valley Foods in Miami, which imports product from Mexico and Peru.
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