Garlic demand increasing, agility required in a fluctuating market
It’s a good time for garlic, says Jim Provost, president of West Grove, Pa.-based I Love Produce.
Garlic is currently being harvested in Spain and China, he said, “and will soon be in California,” where the state is expecting an “excellent quality year, with good yields.”
“Spain will have good supplies, but size is down in some growing regions,” Provost added. “Overall, there will be good supplies of garlic for the market.”
There are challenges afoot, however, says Kenneth Christopher, executive vice president of Christopher Ranch, Gilroy, Calif. He said demand for garlic is high, but supply is challenge to keep up.
“And, so, we’ve been doing what we can to supplement our California garlic with some product from Argentina,” he said, noting, however, that the logistics problems and delays at ports of late have made for “an incredibly frustrating process.”
As a result, Christopher said, the company has been focusing its efforts closer to home.
“When it comes from a manufacturing standpoint, we as a company have made the decision to focus on near-shoring; that is, focusing on working with partners in Canada and Mexico where we have land ports and it’s much, much more predictable and easier to get essential machinery into our production facilities,” he said. “So, we are renewing our focus on domestically sourced industrial capabilities and domestically sourced products.”
Both companies say they are garnering successful returns on their marketing efforts, too.
I Love Produce, for example, has seen significant success with its annual Halloween-themed campaign, OctCLOVErfest, Provost said. Launched in 2018, the event is known for featuring the company’s mascot, Count von Count from “Sesame Street,” as well as the Mistress of the Dark, herself, Elvira. In a campaign video accompanying the promotion, Elvira shows consumers how to paint the outside of garlic cloves. It’s a fun way of inspiring engagement with garlic in a unique fashion, says Provost, noting that garlic does provide a pretty solid painting canvas.
“We’ve come up with fun ways to decorate garlic because the skin lends itself for painting and decorating as an Easter egg would,” he said.
Christopher Ranch has taken a bit of a different approach to its marketing.
“Going forward, we want to double down and emphasize having the biggest all-American program in the country,” said Christopher.
He said the company has “retooled a lot of our packaging,” as well as its messaging on its website and social media, to really drive home the company’s family-owned, California roots — as well as its American pride.
“You’re going to see the American flag on our packaging, you’re going to see ‘All-American and grown in California,’” said Christopher. “We’re just going to be hitting those patriotic notes over and over again.”
