California strawberries grown hydroponically on tabletops and sold under the Ocean Spray brand are a new market opportunity for The Oppenheimer Group. “We see a tremendous shift and opportunity as we’ve built our hydroponic berry concept on tabletops,” said Jason Fung, vice president of berries and greenhouse categories for Oppy. “This tech is making a difference in how we approach labor, water, chemical management, sustainability and environmental protection. The future is really bright.”
Fung did not reveal any production figures for tabletop output compared with field output, but indicated optimism about its potential growth. “We are very excited about our partnership with Red Dog Management and Farmers Gate to bring hydroponic strawberries to market in the first-ever Ocean Spray specialty pack,” he said. “Growing these strawberries on tabletops makes labor less strenuous, hydroponics delivers ample nutrition to the plant using fewer chemicals and less water, and greenhouse production enables year-round production.” With production throughout California, mostly in Oxnard, Santa Maria and Watsonville, Fung said Oppy will have peak availability in May through the summer.
About 10% of Oppy’s output is organic, he said. “We recognize its potential and we’re pursuing opportunities to see that share of our category continue to grow,” he said.
Growing conditions have been fairly normal, he said. “This will lead us into a great spring and summer crop; so far we’re set up really well,” he said. “With the recent announcement of our tabletop strawberry program, being able to manage our way through some of those more dynamic winter weather conditions within high tunnels presents a great opportunity for us to bring a more consistent piece of fruit 12 months of the year.”
In other innovation news, Fung said that Oppy also has a trial launching this year that will test automated robotic strawberry harvesting. “We’re looking forward to seeing how it will complement our operations and what applications there are for robotics in other ways, whether it be pest management, plant treatment or other efficiencies in the fields,” Fung said.
In terms of packaging, Fung said Oppy continues to trial new opportunities to bring more sustainable packaging to the market, including compostable options where applicable. “Anything we can do to reduce the volume of single-use plastics that the produce industry puts into the waste stream is a high priority for Oppy and our partners. In the berry category we’re one of the bigger contributors to it and we recognize the responsibility that we have to drive toward more sustainable options,” Fung said.
