Seven Seas has been growing and marketing California and Mexican strawberries for decades. This year Seven Seas increased its conventional berry production moderately, said Brent Scattini, vice president of West Coast for Seven Seas Berries, a division of the Tom Lange Company Inc.
The company’s organic berry program is about the same as what was planted last year in California, Scattini said.
“What increases we have made have been very customer-centric, meaning our increased volumes are matched to growth from our retail and foodservice partners,” he said.
Retailers can sell even more berries by having the right amount of display space, not forgetting that strawberry promotions are integral in drawing customers to the produce department, and having them on the shelf every day, Scattini said.
“Merchandising both 1-pound and 2-pound units at the same time has been a category builder over the last few years,” he said.
While the California strawberry season got off to a slow start, Seven Seas is confident that its supply model will allow for continuous promotion through both the fall and summer planting cycles, Scattini said.
“We will have abundant supplies of beautiful, sweet California strawberries through October, when our central Mexican production starts to ramp up,” Scattini said.
The Seven Seas sales office in Watsonville, Calif., is run by industry veterans Alan Tagami, Paul Foster and Ryan Saucedo, he said.
Grower challenges
Labor issues and input costs are the most challenging factors for suppliers right now, he said.
“While inputs came down after COVID, they have not returned to anywhere near where they were pre-COVID,” Scattini said. “That factor alone requires that we be better farmers. You can’t cut corners when growing strawberries, so you have to farm smarter to make ends meet.”
Scattini said Seven Seas is looking toward more recyclable packaging materials in the next five years.
“Some of the new strawberry packaging options to hit the market are showing lots of promise, however, the cost of those materials is typically quite high,” Scattini said. “Over time, those options will become more economical for both the producer and the end user.”
