High quality, good sizing and healthy yields forecast for California pomegranates

While the region did experience heavy rain and wind in August due to Tropical Storm Hilary, effects to the 2023 pomegranate crop appear to be minimal.
While the region did experience heavy rain and wind in August due to Tropical Storm Hilary, effects to the 2023 pomegranate crop appear to be minimal.
(Photo courtesy Trinity Co.)

California pomegranate season is almost here, which means suppliers are gearing up for this year’s harvest and preparing to showcase this nutrient-rich superfood.

And if the largely favorable 2023 growing season and recent sales figures are any indication, this should be another good year for the coral-red fruit with leathery skin and jewel-like arils.

According to Circana Integrated Fresh multi-outlet data for the 52 weeks ending July 2, 2023, dollar sales for fresh pomegranates reached more than $160 million — a 16% increase over the previous year and 27.5% higher than two years prior. Unit sales grew more than 11%, and by volume increased more than 13% over the previous year.

“This shows nice dollar growth year-over-year,” said Anne-Marie Roerink, principal at 210 Analytics in San Antonio. “Sustained interest can be seen with the large jumps when comparing sales to a year ago, but also comparing to two and three years ago.”

This is further underscored by double-digit growth both by the unit and pound, she said.

Pomegranate prices have stayed relatively flat year-over-year, however, with price per pound up 2% and price per unit up 4%.

“We have seen incredible growth in demand in the last few years,” said Levon Ganajian, vice president of retail relations at Trinity Co. in Fresno, Calif.

Fueling the trend, he explains, are the year-round availability of pomegranate arils, as well as the country’s changing demographics.

“More than 50% of the population has never had a pomegranate, so the growth potential is there,” he said.

Derrick Miller, president of POM Wonderful in Los Angeles, agrees that the convenience of ready-to-eat arils has helped move the needle, along with years of consumer outreach.

“We continue to put a lot of energy and investment around educating consumers about pomegranates,” he said.

Here’s a look at how the 2023 pomegranate crop is shaping up and the ways in which suppliers are working to promote the fruit this season.

Crop outlook and availability

A cooler-than-normal growing season led to a delay in bloom in California’s Central Valley, with fruit development lagging behind by a week or so.

“I think the promising piece there is that we’ve had somewhat fair growing conditions compared to last year,” Miller said. “I’d say that heat units haven’t been quite as significant.”

Ganajian said that the winter’s plentiful rainfall reduced stress on pomegranate trees this year.

“Also, we had very little frost damage than in previous years,” he said. “We have had less extreme heat that has provided us with less sunburned fruit as well.”

This season’s fruit quality looks better than in previous years, he said, and pomegranates are showing slightly increased sizing and the potential for larger yields.

While the region did experience heavy rain and wind in August due to Tropical Storm Hilary, effects to the 2023 pomegranate crop appear to be minimal.

“We are assessing the fruit from Hilary, and so far, so good,” Ganajian said. “We seem to have avoided damage.”

Trinity Co. expects to begin bringing in its proprietary Sweetheart varieties in early September, with Wonderful to follow in October and November.

Miller said Hilary’s effects have been negligible thus far for the Wonderful variety.

“[The crop] is still pretty green right now, so we’re thankful that it looks like we’ve made it through this one,” he said. “If the storm came a month from now, that might be a different story.”

Sizing looks good at this stage in the fruit’s development, said Miller, who projected that POM Wonderful will begin harvesting in early to mid-October.

John Vena Inc., based in Philadelphia, will also carry Wonderful pomegranates when peak season begins in October or early November.

“There is a lot of time yet for growing conditions to affect the fruit,” said Emily Kohlhas, director of marketing. “We anticipate similar volumes compared to last year, but we have some time yet to refine yield projections and feel out demand.”

Once the California fruit season wraps up in December, the company will transition to counter-season pomegranates from Israel. In March, when the Israeli season typically ends, JVI will offer Wonderful pomegranates from Peru, where the season runs into June.

“Last year we had very strong volumes and exceptional internal quality out of Israel and particularly Peru,” Kohlhas said. “We are working with growers to improve external color, but based on results last year we have high hopes for this coming season.”

A display of Juicy Gems pomegranates
(Photo courtesy Trinity Co.)

Marketing and retail promotion

With a high-quality crop and healthy yields anticipated, pomegranate suppliers are ramping up efforts to promote them to U.S. consumers.

Last year, POM Wonderful marketed pomegranates as the “Antioxidant Superpower.” For 2023, the company is highlighting their versatility in recipes.

“We’ve been continuously communicating on the diversity of offerings with cooking, snacking and anything that’s highlighting POM as a better-for-you choice,” Miller said. “We’ve also been leaning in on mixology for our juice.”

Health and wellness messaging is still a priority, he adds. To promote the nutritional benefits of its products, POM works with a national network of registered dietitians to create content and recipes for the company’s Instagram page. POM is also jumping into TikTok.

In addition, POM will launch a new marketing campaign this fall across digital, social and print platforms, with strong POS support at retail. The details are currently under wraps, with company representatives set to tease the campaign at the International Fresh Produce Association’s 2023 Global Produce & Floral Show in October.

Health benefits are also a focus for Trinity Co., which will be providing POS materials to help retailers communicate the pomegranate’s status as a superfood.

“We are working with our retail partners to support digital and flyer ad promotions, in addition working with food networks, social media and chefs to come up with different ways to use pomegranate products,” Ganajian said. “We offer a high-graphic bin program as well, because bins provide a terrific vehicle for the customer to buy on impulse.”

In-store demos can be implemented to cross-promote products, he said, such as pomegranates and yogurt. Bundling whole fruit with juice and arils has also been an effective strategy at retail.

POM Wonderful is printing QR codes on bins and creating enhanced POS materials that direct consumers to recipes and educational videos, such as how to open a pomegranate.

To ensure a great pomegranate selling season, Miller encourages retailers to leverage POM Wonderful’s eye-catching packaging and the high-graphic, POS displays such as bin bases, posters and balloons. In addition, the company’s team of in-store merchandisers can assist retailers in building displays.

“Many people do not come to the grocery store with pomegranates on their grocery list, so when it comes to waking up the consumer and letting them know poms are back, displays are the number one trigger for whole pomegranate trial,” Miller said.

When it comes to displays, he adds, size matters — the bigger the better.

“We’re only around from October through December, so it’s important to use as many tools as you can to continue to drive growth,” Miller said.

Learn: More about pomegranates from PMG

 

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