Eggplant

D.R. Walcher halts expansion

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:36:54 GMT

The COVID-19 pandemic has put some expansion plans on hold at D.R. Walcher Farms in North Fairfield, Ohio, said Ken Holthouse, partner.

“We were planning an expansion at Walcher, adding onto the building and getting into some bagged product eventually, but the way the COVID thing has hit, we’re waiting,” he said.

“We need to get this season behind us. The whole world wants 2020 to go into the history.”

The planned expansion includes a 20,000-square-foot canopy at Walcher’s 10-year-old packingshed, Holthouse said.

“We’re pretty large into the fall squash and fall decorative items; you have to get it out of the sun as much as pos-sible and we don’t have a whole lot of space,” he said.

“We’re going to wait on that for the time being.”

Sister company Holthouse Farms in Willard, Ohio, has added about 15,000 square feet in the past three years, Holthouse said.

“There’s a new loading dock extension, a new office complex and a box storage barn,” he said.

Related Content:

Ohio suppliers ready for heavy retail sales this season

USDA changes import rules to guard against plant virus

Thu, 22 Sep 2022 02:13:00 GMT

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is conducting a tomato brown rugose fruit virus survey of tomato greenhouses and has restricted imports to crack down on the virus.

The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is conducting the survey, and enacting control measures to safeguard against the virus, according to a news release.

There were several “isolated detections” of the virus in U.S. commercial greenhouses over the winter; the USDA did not identify those locations.

The tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV) can cause severe losses of tomatoes and peppers, according to the release.

“APHIS urges U.S. tomato, eggplant and pepper producers, the nursery transplant industry, and the seed industry to follow recommended sanitation practices to safeguard against the introduction of this virus into commercial greenhouses and report any signs of symptoms to their state plant regulatory official,” according to the APHIS release.

Import rules

Effective June 5, a federal order imposed rules on countries that export tomato and peppers , and propagative materials for those fruit, that include declarations they were inspected and found to be free of the virus. This includes countries that don’t require phytosanitary certificates, including Mexico and Canada.

For tomatoes and peppers originating from the Dominican Republic, France, Spain, Israel and the Netherlands, they must also be accompanied by the declaration.

Related stories:

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2020 Fresh Trends Data: eggplant

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:35:58 GMT

Affluent shoppers are more likely to buy eggplant than those who earn less. In fact, shoppers earning more than $100,000 annually were twice as likely to buy the purple veggie than those in the lowest income bracket, as was the case the past two years.

Asian consumers heavily favor eggplant; in fact, those shoppers are two or more times more likely to grab eggplant than those in any other ethnic group. Asian shoppers were the most likely to buy eggplant overall, as a matter of fact.

For a dozen years now, shoppers in the Northeast have comprised the region most likely to buy eggplant. This year was no different.

The likelihood of an eggplant purchase increased steadily according to income and age.

Thirteen percent of eggplant buyers said they always purchased organic product, as was the case last year. Twenty-eight percent said they selected organic eggplant at least some of the time, up from 26% who said so last year.

Georgia produce growers focus on retail, new strategies

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:38:03 GMT

Georgia growers who supply mostly retailers say they’re doing fine, but as for foodservice business — well, not so much.

Consumers are still eating leafy greens and also demanding his other vegetables, said Heath Wetherington, director of operations for Baker Farms , Norman Park, Ga.

“I don’t think consumption of food has gone down, more just the way it’s consumed,” Wetherington said.

Some growers of cabbage used for foodservice slaw have seen a 40% decrease in sales, he said.

Baker Farms’ ratio of retail, foodservice and wholesale customers changes year to year, and with its processing facility and ability to bag leafy greens, Wetherington said the company has picked up more retail customers. However, he’s seen a drop in wholesale sales.

Aries Haygood — owner of A&M Farms, Lyons, Ga., president of the Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association and chairman of the Vidalia Onion Committee — hasn’t been doing too badly on the demand side either, and his experience isn’t unique.

“I think there’s definitely been an uptick in onion sales overall because they’re a staple item with most meals, everybody pretty much wants them and they keep longer,” Haygood said.

Most of the Vidalia onions from Bland Farms , Glennville, Ga., go to retailers, so customer demand is “right on track,” said Delbert Bland, president.

“As a Vidalia grower, we feel fortunate. Most generic onion varieties go to restaurants and have seen a drop in business due to shutdowns. But most Vidalias go to retailers, and we’ve seen an increase in sales as people cook more meals at home,” Bland said.

Shuman Farms , Reidsville, Ga., is also seeing good demand for its RealSweet-branded Vidalia onions, said John Shuman, president and CEO.

Baker Farms isn’t launching new promotions during this global pandemic, but rather is adjusting to the news and changing realities as they come.

Shuman Farms is continuing with its 2020 plans of cross-merchandising initiatives and on-pack coupons, as well as offering retail partners several options for in-store signage and display bins.

Georgia may be famous for its Vidalia onions, peaches and pecans, but it’s often the No. 1 state in the nation for production of blueberries, according to the Georgia Farm Bureau.

While it’s too soon to tell about this season, the market was better for these popular berries in 2019 than in 2018, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market News.

In the peak month of May 2019, southern Georgia moved 19.7 million pallets of blueberry clamshell pints, compared to 13.3 million in May 2018, according to the USDA.

Georgia is also one of biggest U.S. producers of watermelon, peaches, cucumbers, sweet corn, bell peppers, tomatoes, cantaloupes and cabbage, according to the bureau.

For cabbage, May 2018 was by far the highest-moving month of the year, with 28 million cartons compared to 23.4 million cartons in May 2019.

PACKAGING

Entering its second spring season and in some Winn-Dixie and Food Lion stores, Baker Farms’ 1-pound Rootables bags of turnip and beet roots are doing well, Wetherington said.

“Along with our leafy greens, when we started bagging products, it just made it more convenient. Maybe we’ll discover it makes it safer. If you’re like me, once you’re in that grocery store, you’ll pick up one, two or three tomatoes before you find the good one that you want. I think you’re going to see a lot more of that non-contact packaging. We were seeing a lot more of that before all this (COVID-19) came about,” he said.

With consumers shopping inside grocery stores as quickly as possible, Haygood expects bagged onions to be easiest, but they’re still buying bulk, “so it’s hard to predict,” he said.

The inclement weather has caused more medium-sized Vidalia onions this season, several growers said, and Shuman pointed out that size profile may work even better with bagged onion promotions anyway.

“Consumers are also preferring bagged produce for its convenience and perceived safety,” Shuman said.

Eric Bolesta, salesman for Grower Network, founded by Corbett Bros. Farms , Lake Park, Ga., said more and more of his customers are asking for value-added, packaged items.

“Some attribute it to COVID-19 stuff; others just see a consumer preference leaning into that year after year. People are more focused on it than before,” Bolesta said.

PROMOTING LOCAL

Buying Georgia-grown — or American-grown for that matter — produce is more important than ever with the roller-coaster rises and dives in demand since the pandemic took hold of the U.S., said Charles Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association.

“You’re basically buying for the survival of the American farmer. If you lose 40% of your market because foodservice is not buying, it’s more of a survival message than a support message,” Hall said.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S., Georgia and Florida growers launched an American-Grown consumer campaign, spurred on by concerns of trade deals causing an influx of imported fruits and vegetables.

The Georgia association is ramping up its buy-local efforts in collaboration with the state department of agriculture, promoting the #BuyGeorgiaGrown or #GeorgiaGrown hashtag on social media, using the slogan, “Do you know where your produce comes from?”

Members are also encouraged to use the #AmericaGrowsitBest hashtag.

Forced to find new lines of business during the coronavirus fallout, Hall said there is a lot of growth in farmers selling mixed-produce boxes in their local areas.

“They’re looking for ways to get produce moved,” Hall said.

On 500 acres in Moultrie, Ga., Chill C Farms grows bell peppers, yellow squash, eggplant, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, zucchini, and specialty peppers, selling to wholesalers and directly to consumers. The farm has seen growth in its mixed-produce boxes for pickup or delivery.

Lewis Taylor Farms, Tifton, Ga., grows more than 8,500 acres of produce, including cantaloupes, watermelon, pepper, tomato, squash, cucumbers, greens, broccoli.

In mid-April on its Facebook page, the company started offering the mixed-produce boxes to the public for pickup without having to leave their vehicles, and the response was so great that the consumer boxes returned the following weeks.

The old channels of business will come back, one way or another, growers say.

Wetherington said his restaurateur friends tell him when the country re-opens, they will need to restock 100% of their inventory.

“I do think there will be a surge. I think there will be a lot of good movement,” he said.

“I ask people to be patient, because farmers haven’t quit, and we want to be here for America when it gets back on its feet, 100%.”

Behind the 8 ball (squash) on PMG

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:29:09 GMT

The first week of July brought a lot of shuffling of the top 20 produce items on Produce Market Guide, with some summertime specialties joining the ranks of standard favorites.

Watermelon went from No. 16 to No. 1, and cucumbers moved up a spot to No. 2. Specialty crenshaw melons rejoined the list at No. 3, and blueberries rose to No. 4 from No. 12 the previous week . Peaches gained nine spots to complete the top 5.

The PMG platform connects produce buyers and sellers. Below, find the top 20 searched commodities on PMG July 1-7.

Beans slipped a spot to No. 6, while beets moved up to No. 7 from No. 18 the previous week. Okra fell four places to No. 8, and specialty manzano bananas rejoined at No. 9. Lemons moved up two places to round out the top 10.

Cherries fell to No. 11 from No. 7 the previous week, and mangoes fell 10 spots to No. 12. Avocados dropped to No. 13 from No. 6 the week before, and yellow plums came back to the list at No. 14. Blackberries slipped five spots to No. 15.

Mini watermelons joined at No. 16, and lettuce fell four spots to No. 17. Eggplant came back to the list at No. 18, while specialty 8 ball squash appeared at No. 19. Apples fell three spots from the week before, landing at No. 20.

Ciruli Bros. adds plantings of cucumbers, green bell peppers, eggplant

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:48:11 GMT

Ciruli Bros. LLC , Rio Rico, Ariz., has increased its plantings of cucumbers, green bell peppers and eggplant, said partner Chris Ciruli.

The company saw increased retail demand at the end of the 2020 season and was optimistic that retail sales will continue to be strong as the new season begins, and that foodservice business will pick up as more restaurants reopen and people begin traveling once again.

“We definitely feel optimistic on sales for the front end of the season,” Ciruli said.

Some commodities in Culiacan started earlier than usual because of extremely warm and dry weather, he said.

“It’s pushed a lot of product along faster.”

Ciruli said he expected that trend to continue with tomatoes, romas and red and green bell peppers.

The company was able to fill supply gaps that resulted from weather challenges on the East Coast of the U.S., he said.

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Morocco seeks authorization for eggplant shipments to U.S.

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 08:11:25 GMT

The government of Morocco has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to authorize the importation of fresh eggplant for consumption into the continental U.S.

The USDA has drafted a pest risk assessment that describes potential pests associated with the commodity, according to a news release.

The USDA shares the draft pest risk assessments to determine whether stakeholders have information that might lead the agency to revise the draft assessment before it identifies pest mitigations and proceed with the commodity import approval process.

The draft pest risk assessment for eggplant for consumption from Morocco will be available for review and comment until May 28. To see the assessment or submit comments, go to
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/plant-health/risk-assessment-consultation.

Florida fall eggplant, tomatoes season

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:32:48 GMT

As shown so far this fall, it’s often a great time of year to be a Florida fruit or vegetable grower. Can the same be said for Florida fall eggplant, tomatoes season?

Eggplant

By Oct. 26, Florida’s eggplants had just started shipping, with about 10,000 pounds shipped, about a third less volume than the same day in 2020, with 30,000 pounds shipped, according to the AMS.

On Jan. 22, Florida shipped 110,000 pounds of eggplant, compared to 70,000 pounds the same day in 2020.

Tomatoes

On Oct. 26, Florida shipped 2.4 million pounds of mature-green tomatoes and 80,000 pounds of vine-ripe tomatoes, according to the AMS. On the same day in 2020, the state shipped 820,000 pounds of mature-greens and no vine-ripes were listed.

Tomatoes really ramp up by December.

On Dec. 22, 2020, Florida shipped 2.6 million pounds of mature-green tomatoes, and on the equivalent day in 2019, Dec. 23, the state shipped 3.2 million pounds of mature-greens.

Malena, International Greenhouse Produce, form distribution plan

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:44:31 GMT

Malena Produce , Nogales, Ariz., has signed a distribution agreement with International Greenhouse Produce S.A. de C.V., Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.

International Greenhouse Produce tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers will be marketed by Malena under the new Garden Queen Brand, according to a news release. Both are third-generation family businesses.

Jim Cathey, who recently left Marengo Foods Co. LLC as vice president of sales to join Malena as sales manager, said eggplant is the only year-round item available through the partnership. Seasonal and year-round availability of other vegetables “have yet to be determined,” Cathey said in the release.

Malena CEO Gonzalo Avila said the company is known for its eggplant throughout North America and International Greenhouse Produce (owned by the Canelos family) is known for its ABC brand of greenhouse vegetables.

Malena will ship from two warehouses in Nogales, this winter, and later ship from McAllen, Texas. Malena sells a wide range of vegetables from Mexico to retailers, foodservice operators, wholesalers and brokers, according to the release.

Juan Carlos Medina recently joined the Malena sales staff. He formerly worked at Rene Produce, Nogales. Other sales staff are Sergio Manriquez, Luis Galaviz, Bill Olvey and Christian Torres.

Growers offer insight on Mexican produce

Thu, 30 Jan 2025 14:17:11 GMT

It may be the middle of winter, but plenty of fresh, nutritious fruits and vegetables from Mexico are crossing into the U.S. through Nogales, Ariz.

“We’re coming out of the dead of winter,” said Chris Ciruli, partner at Ciruli Bros. LLC, Rio Rico, Ariz. “We will be peaking on our spring Culiacan crops that will consist primarily of eggplant, cucumbers and bell peppers.”

Peak production will be during February and March.

Rio Rico, Ariz.-based Ciruli Bros. LLC is rebranding its eggplant, green beans and other items, says partner Chris Ciruli. “We’re putting [product] into a Golden West label that we haven’t done in quite a while.”

(Photo courtesy of Ciruli Bros. LLC)

Everything should be in good supply, he said, except green and yellow zucchini, which has been held back by cool temperatures but should recover by March.

The company’s Champagne mango program will start the first week of March out of Chiapas in southern Mexico with heavier production by mid-March. Round mangoes likely will kick off the first week of April, Ciruli said.

Ciruli Bros. is going through a packaging changeover.

“We’re rebranding everything into some of our retro farm labels,” Ciruli said. “We’re putting [product] into a Golden West label that we haven’t done in quite a while.”

The program will include eggplant, bell peppers and cucumbers.

Rio Rico, Ariz.-based IPR Fresh is in the middle of its main season with good volume of colored and green bell peppers, says Jose Luis Obregon, president. The company also reports excellent quality on some Persian and European cucumbers.

(Photo courtesy of IPR Fresh)

Rio Rico-based IPR Fresh is in the middle of its main season with good volume of colored and green bell peppers, said Jose Luis Obregon, president.

The company also reports excellent quality on some Persian and European cucumbers. IPR Fresh offers organic versions of all of its conventional items, Obregon said.

Volume will be up this year because of some new plantings, increased consumption and an expanding customer base, Obregon said.

Recent winter demand was a bit slow, however, because an Arctic blast of cold weather in the U.S. was keeping consumers from restocking their kitchens, he said.

Rio Rico, Ariz.-based Rich River Produce LLC is filling its year-old warehouse with items like bell peppers, chili peppers, tomatillos, cucumbers and roma tomatoes, says Edgar Duarte, sales manager. The company got an early start in mid-October thanks to some good growing weather and a new grower.

(Photo courtesy of Rich River Produce LLC)

Rio Rico-based Rich River Produce LLC is filling its year-old warehouse with items like chili peppers, cucumbers, bell peppers, eggplant and roma tomatoes, said Edgar Duarte, sales manager.

The company got an early start in mid-October thanks to some good growing weather and a new grower in Chihuahua who decided to start shipping through Nogales, Duarte said.

Quality has been good, but markets are not so good.

“We’ve been seeing a pretty low market on most items for almost two months,” he said.

The slowdown is the result of a number of factors, Duarte said, including a flagging U.S. economy and a drop in production in Mexico.

Prices and sales are slow in Mexico as well, he said.

Duarte said he was disappointed by the lack of support from some retailers who, in the past, would work with shippers and set aggressive pricing through sales and specials to move more product, he said.

“You’re not seeing the lower prices on wholesale trickling down to the supermarket,” Duarte said.

Nogales-based Covilli Brand Organics ships a variety of organic items and is expanding its Brussels sprouts program to year-round starting this spring, said Alejandro Madrigal, president. Overall quality has been good this winter, he said.

“Despite the recent cold snaps, which have delayed open field crops such as squash, overall weather conditions have been favorable,” Madrigal said.

“We are seeing bigger sizing in all winter squash varieties,” he added.

Though just a small program, dragon fruit, the company’s “most exotic commodity,” has just completed its fourth export season and continues to expand, Madrigal said.

Focus continues to be on high Brix levels, high-color varieties and increasing plantings, he said.

Covilli’s dragon fruit season runs from June to December.

From left, Carlos Bon, senior vice president of sales, and Clarisa Batiz, vegetable category manager, both with Divine Flavor LLC, Nogales, Ariz., and Ernesto Urtusuastegui, director of Hortifresh Greenhouses, show off some of the company’s greenhouse-grown bell peppers and mini peppers. During the spring, Divine Flavor will focus on its core vegetable commodities such as conventional and organic peppers as well as cucumbers and grape, roma and beefsteak tomatoes, says Michael DuPuis, quality assurance and public relations manager.

(Photo courtesy of Divine Flavor LLC)

During the spring, Nogales-based Divine Flavor LLC will focus on its core vegetable commodities such as conventional and organic bell peppers, mini peppers, cucumbers and grape, roma and beefsteak tomatoes, said Michael DuPuis, quality assurance and public relations manager.

“We also offer yellow squash/zucchini, as well as all melons during late spring,” he said.

Divine Flavor is the only grower to offer the hami melon, which is a sweeter version of the cantaloupe, DuPuis said.

“We also offer grapes from South America until the Jalisco program begins in April,” he said.

Weather has been better this year compared to 2024, with no heavy rains or hurricanes impacting growing conditions, DuPuis said.

Quality is much better as well, with all signs pointing to having a more “traditional” season in terms of volume and production, he said.