Ocean Mist Farms looks for strong supplies of lettuce

Lettuce from California’s Salinas and Castroville regions is the focus for the next three months for Castroville-based Ocean Mist Farms.

John Georgalos, commodity manager, said the marketer grows lettuce in California year-round.

“Acres are same as last year,” Georgalos said. “Yields have exceeded budgeted volumes because of ideal weather conditions.”

Iceberg and romaine lettuce continue to jockey for top position in the leafy greens category, he said. 

“We have many options beyond these two leafy varieties such as red, green, butter,” he said. “Consumer and customer demand will dictate our production.”

Foodservice demand growing

Georgalos said foodservice demand began to increase about three months ago. 

“In the last month, we are seeing ‘normal’ demand levels,” he said.

About 7% of Ocean Mist production is organic, he said.

While labor is a worry, Georgalos said the H-2A program has definitely helped alleviate the labor challenges.

Sustainability focus

Georgalos said Ocean Mist has a sustainability program that involves concurrent harvest to maximize labor, production and investment, in addition to supporting local food banks.

“The decrease in foodservice business was offset by retail demand and will adjust as we move into post-COVID conditions,” Georgalos said.

The trend toward sustainable packaging options continues, he said, which translates into careful procurement of packaging material options.

Retail promotion

Ocean Mist Farms is well positioned for retail sales, he said.

“The best way to promote our product is to align their communication with our brand communication and take advantage of our promotable volumes,” Georgalos said.