Florida strawberries are expected to show increasing volume for Christmas and New Year celebrations, says Sue Harrell, marketing director for the Florida Strawberry Growers Association.

“Florida strawberries have an opportunity now to build loyalty and attract new customers during the heavy purchasing moments, such as the approaching holidays,” Harrell said. “We will be targeting health-conscious consumers with a nutrient-dense product that is delicious and available in the winter months.”

In the calendar year 2021, Florida shipped 17% of its annual volume in December, 13% in January, 35% in February, 32% in March and 2% in April.

Upswing expected

Florida’s strawberry production in 2022-23 has increased to close to 12,000 acres, Harrell said. In 2021, Florida’s office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated harvested acres at 10,400, with a reported crop value of nearly $400 million.

In early December, Florida strawberries were hitting the stores with great size and flavor in all the varieties, Harrell said.

“The white strawberry variety is also picking well and has been an exciting addition and accepted in the marketplace as a new berry category,” she said.

Florida strawberries usually see great volume in January, Harrell said. “Some of the growers that planted earlier with plug plants have better numbers and are a week or two ahead of everyone else.”

On the marketing side, the Florida Strawberry Growers Association will continue partnering with the Florida Department of Agriculture’s Fresh From Florida program to give incentives for promotion.
  
Consumers will be able to identify Florida-grown strawberries by the Fresh From Florida logo on the packaging, Harrell said.  

“We will continue reaching consumers showing what the fields look like and giving updates on the crop and sharing recipes and farm-related stories by using real-time social media postings, online contests, recipe video production, and TV and live streaming over the top (OTT) channels along with radio ads,” Harrell said. “We will be working with food personalities, and web apps that allow recipe publishers to add features like saved scalable shopping lists and shoppable recipes through multiple grocery delivery and pickup services with selected retailers in targeted areas of the USA."

Retailers can make consumers aware that Florida strawberries are in season all winter long by building displays at store level with the words Florida Grown on the displays, she said.

The USDA reported the most active period for retail promotion of strawberries during the Florida season in 2022 was the week of Feb. 11, when 10,434 retail stores promoted 1-pound packages of strawberries at an average cost of $2.98. That compares with 12,022 U.S. stores promoting strawberries at an average price of $2.47 for 1-pound packages in the same week of 2021.