Raspberry supply is seeing a steady volume at the moment coming in from Mexico. "The Watsonville, California season is just beginning, and the volume is anticipated to increase in the coming weeks. Barring any major weather events, we are forecasting for peak volumes to span July- August," says Brad Peterson, California Giant Berry Farms' Director of Business Development.
The volume overall is about the same as last year for California Giant.
Meanwhile, consumption of the popular berry continues to increase–since 2018, raspberry consumption in dollars has increased by over 15 percent. "This significant growth in consumption is believed to be a result of consumers focusing on health-conscious diets," says Peterson. "However there is much work to be done to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. According to the USDA, 80 percent of the U.S. population consumes too little fruit, and about 90 percent of the U.S. population does not meet the recommendation for vegetables."
"Barring any major weather events, we are forecasting for peak volumes to span July- August," says Brad Peterson
New varietals this year
On its part, California Giant has been working to boost consumption via improved growing practices such as potted media husk vs. in-ground production, along with the continual exploration of new varietals. "We're very excited about several varieties that we are bringing into the fold for 2024. These varieties push both flavor and production units," says Peterson.
As for pricing, it has also increased year over year with the current USDA market prices at $27.00 vs. 2023 at $23.00. "The timing of supply has allowed pricing to push upwards," he added.
For more information:
Kyla Oberman
California Giant Berry Farms
Tel: (+1) 831.786.7458
[email protected]
www.calgiant.com