Whether retailers and consumers are looking for strawberries, blueberries, blackberries or raspberries, they’ll be able to find them this summer, and they should be pleased with the quality, grower-shippers say.
“Spring has really sprung for California Giant berries,” said Kyla Oberman, director of marketing for the Watsonville, Calif.-based grower-shipper.
“Size and quality of all four berry types are looking strong and tasting great,” she said.
The company wrapped up its winter strawberry crop in Oxnard and Santa Maria, Calif., in late April and scheduled new plantings. Volume in Watsonville is expected to increase significantly throughout May, she said.
The Watsonville raspberry harvest was expected to start with small volume in early to mid-May, she said. Mexico production was decreasing in some growing regions and increasing in others.
Cal Giant’s Watsonville blackberry harvest was expected to start in early to mid-June, and Mexico blackberry volume continued toward peak production, Oberman said.
Blueberries
Blueberry quality in Mexico in late April was very good, as was quality on organic blueberries in Oxnard, she said.
Quality out of Georgia also was good for the most part.
“We are seeing mostly firm berries with a few minor defects here and there,” she said.
Strawberries
In California’s Central Valley, the first organic blueberry ranch was expected to be packed around April 27, but significant conventional volume will not arrive until mid-May, she said.
The company’s strawberry volume is expected to be roughly the same as last year, with a “really strong” May and June; blueberry volumes are up with additional acreage in the Southeast.
Visalia, Calif.-based Seven Seas, a division of Tom Lange Co. Inc., Springfield, Ill., started harvesting conventional strawberries in Santa Maria in mid-February and organic strawberries in early March, said Brent Scattini, vice president for the West Coast.
The company’s California berry crop is off to a spectacular start, he said.
“We anticipate some of the best quality and yields ever, and as a result are working closely with our customer/partners to promote the crop in a responsible and aggressive way,” he said.
Early spring rain provided the crop with vitality and a strong root structure, said Alan Tagami, vice president berry sales.
“Moderate temperatures have been perfect for growing strawberries, therefore we are seeing excellent fruit size and quality,” he said.
Seven Seas will have promotable volumes throughout the spring and summer, he added.
“So far, quality and size have both been excellent in our Santa Maria, Calif., production,” Scattini said.
“Moderate climates have provided near perfect conditions contributing not only to great size and shape, but flavor profile as well,” he said.
Organic also strawberries are a big part of the company’s program, Tagami said.
“We are aggressively marketing the organic product line right alongside our conventional strawberry programs,” he said.
Porterville, Calif.-based Homegrown Organic Farms kicked off its California organic blueberry program in late April, said Stephen Paul, director for stone fruit, blueberries and fall fruit.
The deal will continue in California until late May or early June and then transition to the Pacific Northwest, where the program will continue at least through August.
“We have a very healthy, sustainable organic blueberry program,” Paul said. “This year, the fruit quality looks really good.”
California had a nice wintertime with good chill and some late rain that helped the fruit grow, he said.
With severe storms in other parts of the world, Paul said he believes California fruit “is probably going to be at a premium this year.”
The Northwest blueberries also look good, he said in late April, and have had optimal growing conditions.
Supplies of Northwest blueberries should be plentiful and high quality, he said.
Paul said he does not expect to see a drop in organic sales despite the struggling economy.
“We’ve got to deliver a consistency for (consumers) so that we don’t diminish their expectations, and we keep them coming back,” he said.
The bloom was “perfect” this spring for California blueberries from Sheridan, Ore.-based HBF International LLC, said CEO Doug Perkins.
“The crop looks really good.”
The company will harvest blueberries up and down the San Joaquin Valley until June 15 or 20 and then transition to Oregon around June 20, he said.
The blueberry crop also looked promising in Oregon.
“They’ve had some warmer weather than helped with the bloom,” he said.
That deal will continue through October.
HBF will have blackberries from Oregon from late June through September.
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