Good crop of California stone fruit expected

California’s peach, nectarine and plums crop should offer good volume and strong quality this year, according to Levon Ganajian, retail relations director for Trinity Fruit Sales  Co., Fresno, Calif.

“The best way to characterize it is a full crop,” Ganajian said. “We’ve had ideal weather conditions, plenty of chill hours, and so that equates to high quality fruit this year.”

In addition, growers had to do quite a bit of thinning, so a large crop is anticipated, he said.

California apricot volume could arrive the first week of May, while peaches and nectarines will be available in good volume by the third week of May, with plums by the first week of June.

Good volume of California stone fruit will continue through September.

There has been a “hiccup” here and there with isolated hail, he said, but in general, stone fruit is on pace for a full crop.

“We expect to have more fruit than we had last year, and I think we are going to have better quality fruit as well.”

Industry wide, plum volume may be down slightly, but peaches and nectarines are expected slightly above a year ago, he said.

Packaging

In 2020, the retail demand for packaged stone fruit was unprecedented, Ganajian said.

“I’d say year-over-year, we had the biggest increase in bagged fruit than we’ve ever (seen) before, and I see continuing that trend, as well as an increase in private-label bags,” he said

Demand for bagged fruit increased 35% to 40% in 2020, Ganajian said, and another double-digit increase is expected for 2021.

Private label is a big trend in the produce department, and he said that trend also is getting traction with stone fruit.

In addition, Trinity Fruit offers a 4-pound retail box, and demand for that package also is increasing, he said.

Retailers will be challenged to match last year’s pandemic fueled sales, he said, and one strategy could include promotions of bigger fruit bag sizes.

“We’re working with our retail partners and trying to come up with 2-pound, 3-pound and even 5-pound bags as well as a 4-pound consumer box,” Ganajian said. “We think that’s a great way to find incremental sales.”

Promoting white-flesh peaches and nectarines at the same price as yellow-flesh varieties can also drive sales, he said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s food box program helped stone fruit shippers last year.

“That really helped us with the utilization of all our fruit, we were able to take care of a lot of the oddball sizes; right now, we think there is going to be another food box program and we are hoping there is because it sure helps all of us in the industry,” Ganajian said.

Trinity Fruit expects to have about 500,000 cases of organic stone fruit in 2021 and perhaps as much as 6 million cartons of total stone fruit volume, he said.

“The most important thing is the quality should be outstanding,” Ganajian said. “When the fruit eats good, the fruit moves really well. That bodes well for this upcoming season.”