Southeast U.S., California berries — Strawberries

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The biggest berry in the category, in individual size as well as in popularity with consumers, is the strawberry.

Strawberries are the third most popular fruit, after bananas and apples, with U.S. shoppers, according to The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2021. The report showed 58% of customers purchased strawberries within the past 12 months.

California’s strawberry season is year-round, growing about 90% of all strawberries produced in the U.S., according to the California Strawberry Commission.

Both California and Florida have shipped significantly fewer strawberries this year so far compared to 2020, while Mexico’s shipments have spiked.

For the week ending April 24, California had shipped 29.4 million crates of fresh strawberries to date in 2021, compared to 36 million crates in the same time period in 2020 and 35.2 million in 2019, according to the commission.

Southern California’s strawberry growing areas began season on schedule, but weather such as severe rain, hail and high winds caused setbacks to the harvest, Chappell of California Giant said.

Oxnard’s harvest should conclude mid-May, while Santa Maria is entering its peak supply window and will continue at that level through June with very good quality, he said.

“The Watsonville-Salinas strawberry growers have had a hard time building momentum due to the weather,” Chappell said. “The plants did not receive ideal chill time during the winter; combined with wet and colder spring temperatures, the fruit has yet to ripen up as compared to timing of previous years.”

Nature Fresh Farms Strawberries — Photo courtesy Nature Fresh Farms

That region is about 30% behind in volume and three weeks behind schedule.

The plants are healthy and loaded with green fruit, so as warmer weather arrives and berries ripen, Chappell and marketing director Kyla Oberman said they expect plentiful and promotable strawberry volume for May and June especially, “which will make up for lost time and volume in the end,” Chappell said.

The overall peak for California’s strawberry season should be the third week of May through the end of June.

To support strawberries this May, National Strawberry Month, California Giant will launch a 31 Reasons to Smile promotion to reinforce the brand message “Sweet. Sustainable. Smiles.”

“With cultural celebrations and holidays such as Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day included in the month, we’re taking this opportunity to encourage consumption of berries in fun and unique ways, as well as day-to-day life,” Oberman said. “The audience will be able to download a dessert recipe e-book, be offered coupons and have the chance to win Visa gift card prizes.”

Florida’s strawberries are available generally November through April, and Mexico’s availability mirrors that, with the additional bookend months of October and May.

For the week ending April 24, Florida’s total fresh shipments were 24.1 million crates, compared to 26.6 million crates for the same period in 2020 and 21.1 million in 2019.

Mexico’s shipments by far exceeded both of the major U.S. strawberry-producing states, with 36.5 million crates shipped this year through April 24, compared to 27.1 million crates for the same time period in 2020 and 30.7 million in 2019, according to the commission.

North Carolina ranks fourth nationally in strawberry production with about 1,100 acres annually, according to the state’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

April marks the start of North Carolina’s season, which should last through Memorial Day.

“The recent hard frost kept strawberry growers busy protecting the plants’ tender blooms, but farmers have reported that those efforts seem to have been successful and consumers will be able to find local berries,” Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a news release.

With fruit from Oxnard, Santa Maria and Salinas-Watsonville, Calif., Naturipe Farms expected promotable supplies to start in early April and continue through the summer, Jerry Moran, vice president of sales for the Salinas-based company, told The Packer in an April 5 article.

Cooler, drier weather compared to this time last year has helped the crop, he said.

More online shopping has encouraged Naturipe to partner with more online retailers and digital platforms.

Leamington, Ontario-based Nature Fresh Farms is expanding its greenhouse strawberry acreage from one to 16 acres, with help from growing partner Cielo Vista, to be completed this fall.

“We have been extremely happy with the quality and flavor we’ve been able to grow, which is why we are expanding the program,” Niels Klapwijk, director of procurement, said in a news release.

The company has worked for two years on trial and development in order to add strawberries to its list of commodities. It has farms in Leamington; Delta, Ohio; and Mexico.

Strawberries are one of the top fruit imports in Canada, so this expansion would help reduce food miles through increased local production that shortens transportation routes.

“With the success of this commodity, we see the potential progression of the strawberry program while opening new opportunities for future berry varietals,” John Ketler, vice president, said in the release.