In the heart of California’s vibrant strawberry-growing regions, anticipation is high for the 2024 season with industry insiders upbeat about crop quality and volume.
With a focus on sustainability, innovative practices and tailored promotional strategies, growers are poised to meet consumer demands and preferences.
Crop outlook
With the onset of spring, Oxnard, Calif.-based Bobalu Berries is optimistic about the 2024 strawberry season, Anthony Gallino, vice president of sales, told The Packer.
In Oxnard and Santa Maria, quality is excellent, and volume is ramping up as daytime and nighttime temperatures become more predictable, he said.
“Our berries are grown along the coast, which provides the best growing conditions with sandy soil and cool pacific breezes. Focus is on quality every day in every package, as consumers really do demand flavor and quality when they shop,” Gallino said. “If a consumer is not happy with their purchase, they might shift to another item next time they go to the store, so we take that seriously and do our best to ensure our brand is dependable and preferred.”
Salinas, Calif.-based Naturipe Farms anticipates California strawberries with outstanding quality and flavor this season, said Jerry Moran, vice president of sales.
Behind the scenes, growers and owners have dedicated their time and resources to enhancing the quality of all berry varieties, including strawberries, he said.
“We’re thrilled to see the results of these efforts in the recent seasons,” Moran added.
Thanks to a combination of innovations in growing practices, hard work from growers and optimal weather, the company can offer California strawberries year-round, he said.
Irvine, Calif.-based Gem-Pack Berries says quality has been consistent with previous years and “we’ve put in extra work to avoid water-damaged fruit, just as we had to last year, in the winter and early spring,” said Michelle Deleissegues, vice president of marketing.
California volume is expected to be higher this year, she said.
Supply and demand
As one of the top 5 fruits in annual retail sales, strawberries are clearly a consumer favorite, Gallino said.
A general shift in purchasing has led to the inclusion of varying container sizes, depending on the time of year, he said.
“As summer approaches, we will see consumers shifting toward our larger-sized packages, like the 2-pound containers,” Gallino said.
The larger size helps move more volume during peak conditions, but also meets consumer demand as families consume more berries with events, holidays, graduations, youth sports and more, he said.
“Over the past few years, there has been a noticeable increase in the demand for fresh strawberries, particularly within the organic market,” Moran said. “In response to this growing demand, we have significantly expanded the acreage dedicated to our California strawberries several times over the past decade.”
Gem-Pack Berries faced headwinds later in winter because of simultaneous high yields in Florida, central Mexico and Southern California, Deleissegues said. Now that Florida and central Mexico have finished for the year, demand and supply in California has evened out and Gem-Pack is shipping at a steady pace.
“Consumer demand has been consistent, and our focus has been on providing quality and not just quantity so our consumers are repeat purchasers,” she said.
Weather impact
Industry leaders expressed cautious optimism amid weather fluctuations and rainfall, anticipating beneficial outcomes for crop yields and water resources management in the upcoming year.
“We’re rolling into 2024 in fine shape, and that bodes well for 2025 as well, with both Salinas Valley reservoirs looking to be close to full by the end of the year,” said John R. Baillie, president of the Salinas-based Jack T. Baillie Co. and past chairman of the Monterey County Water Resource Agency.
The huge advantage that the Salinas Valley had with last year’s storms was that the reservoirs were empty, he said.
“They were able to absorb the late 2022 storms while reducing the flooding impact in March of 2023,” Baillie said. “So instead of having two big flooding events, we just had one. We do our best to forecast, plan and operate accordingly.”
Ara Azhderian, general manager of Monterey County Water Resources Agency, said growers have had better fortune with storms this year compared with 2023, as the storms have come in waves and been beneficial to the 2024 and 2025 water supply.
“What remains a challenge is the actions we can take as a public water agency to improve the Salinas River capacity to carry flood water and to be able to improve the physical state of both damns, which is being hindered ultimately by the regulatory environment,” he said.
Last year excessive rain during the first quarter affected early volume, said Gallino of Bobalu Berries.
“This year has been more normal with the typical winter rain and cool weather we expect during January and February,” he said. “Spring has definitely arrived here in 2024, and the plants are thriving.”
Cold weather and rain in the last couple of months has slightly delayed the start of Naturipe Farms’ spring season, but ultimately the precipitation benefited the strawberry crop, said Moran, who added that the recent rainfall has revitalized soil and energized plants, setting the stage for excellent size and flavor from the company’s California growing regions.
“With favorable weather conditions forecasted for the remainder of the season, we anticipate exceptional outcomes,” he said.
Staggering production in regard to timing and region provides steady production and an ability to rely on harvest from regions with better weather and field conditions, Deleissegues said.
“Our most important weather mitigation strategy is investing in cultivation in multiple regions and districts,” she said.
Sustainability
Companies are advancing efforts to reduce carbon emissions through packaging redesigns and zero waste initiatives while also adopting renewable energy sources such as solar power to mitigate their environmental footprint.
“At Bobalu, we take sustainability very seriously, and our team within the company is working closely with some of our retail partners to make advancements and document our success,” Gallino said.
Bobalu has redesigned its packaging, reduced 11,000 miles of gas emissions in one year with freight and now uses 95% post-consumer recycled plastic in its clamshells, along with fully recyclable labels, he said.
“We are diligently working toward zero waste. We have converted to digital programs in both our processing facility and our fresh farming operation,” Gallino said.
Sustainability is a core consideration in all of Naturipe’s operations, Moran said. Over the past year, Naturipe converted its flagship cooler in Watsonville, Calif., to solar energy, which has resulted in an estimated 1,181 metric tons of carbon dioxide avoided each year, he said.
“We’re proud of our continued commitment to minimizing our environmental impact and are excited to continue implementing sustainable practices throughout our operations,” Moran said.
Gem-Pack Berries consistently strives to test and implement new practices to work toward a more sustainable future, such as using drones to spread beneficials or ultraviolet light to combat insect pests, Deleissegues said.
Gem-Pack Berries and BADP America also signed a letter of intent to jointly develop an eco-friendly, sustainable packaging solution for strawberries. The initiative aims to leverage microbial-induced enzyme additive technology to set new standards in environmental stewardship within the agricultural sector.
“The signing of this letter of intent with BADP America marks a pivotal moment in our journey towards elevated sustainability,” said Madu Etchandy, vice president of operations of Gem-Pack Berries.
Promotions
Bobalu Berries works closely with retail and foodservice partners to develop programs that provide promotional opportunities to build and maintain consumer demand, Gallino said.
Bobalu shares its story with consumers through its social media channels when connecting and engaging, both before and after purchase.
“Bob and Lupe Jones, family founders, combined their names to create the Bobalu brand, so we honor that legacy with every package,” Gallino said.
Naturipe has introduced several premium varieties over the past year, such as the jumbo-sized Mighty Reds strawberries, Moran said, adding that there has been a trend among consumers to favor novelty berries with distinct characteristics.
Naturipe offers long-stem strawberries, ideal for chocolate-dipping occasions such as Mother’s Day, as well as greenhouse-grown strawberries, he said.
“Naturipe has declared 2024 the start of a ‘New Era of Berries,’ which is defined by improved quality of berries, ramped-up innovation in breeding, growing and packaging, with continued prioritization of sustainability throughout the business,” Moran said.
Growers have dedicated significant time to improving Naturipe’s berries in the past few decades, and the “New Era of Berries” marks that transition to new proprietary berry varieties that are flavorful, high quality and nutritious, he said. P
