Strawberry volume increased 11% year-over-year, according to data in the California Strawberry Commission’s recently released “State of the Strawberry Category Report.”
The report highlights how strawberries drive berry category sales, growth and promotional performance, growth in volume and dollar sales in the past year.
The commission says key findings from the 2024 “State of the Strawberry Category Report” include:
- Double-digit volume growth — Strawberry volume increased more than 11% year-over-year, which outpaced all other berry varieties. Strawberries held a 60% share of the berry category volume with more than 153.6 million pounds in incremental sales. Over the same period, strawberries held a 43% share of total berry dollar sales, with a 5% increase in dollar sales. This growth equated to more than $235.9 million in category sales.
- Conventional vs. organic — Organic strawberries showed volume growth of more than 12%, outperforming conventional strawberries by 1 percentage point. Conventional strawberries account for 91% of the total volume.
- Packaging and regional trends — Across package sizes, 16- and 32-ounce packages accounted for 98% of total strawberry sales, with the 32-ounce package experiencing more than 15% increase in volume. Regionally, the Southeast led in category development, posting a more than 14% volume increase, while the Northeast held the largest market share.
- Promotional efforts — The report showed that more than half of strawberry volume was sold on promotion at an average price discount of less than 26%, which drove a promoted volume lift of more than 43%.
- Peak-season performance — More than 652 million pounds of strawberries were sold at retail during peak season, which spans from April to July, generating $1.7 billion in category sales.
“We’re very excited to share the sales opportunities highlighted in our 2024 ‘State of the Strawberry Category Report,’ which reflects the growing consumer demand for fresh strawberries and the strong performance of retail promotions,” Chris Christian, vice president of market insights at the California Strawberry Commission, said in a news release. “This report provides valuable data for retailers, berry shippers and industry stakeholders to optimize their strategies and capitalize on the momentum of the strawberry category.”
A summary of the report’s findings and more information is available at CaliforniaStrawberries.com/retail.
