The Trade Buzz

CROP UPDATES

STRAWBERRIES

strawberry

Florida

Quality: Quality is good for both conventional and organic fruit, with isolated instances of decay from past rain events.  

Volume: Volumes are steady.

Pack Counts: Conventional: 22-26, 28-30 depending on ranch; Organic: 22-26, 28-30 depending on ranch 

Mexico

Quality: Quality is good. 

Volume: Production is steady.

Pack Counts: Conventional: 20-24, 26-28 depending on ranch 

Oxnard

Quality: Quality is good with nice shape, sheen and 95%+ color.  

Volume: Volumes are steady due to cold weather delaying ripening. Volumes are anticipated to increase with warmer temperatures.  

Pack Counts: 14-16 

Santa Maria

Quality: Quality is good for organic and conventional fruit, with some green shoulders and button-tip due to cold weather. 

Volume: Volumes are light but steady for conventional spring crop. Light harvests are underway of the organic spring crop. Organic fall crop volumes are steady. Cooler weather is delaying the ripening of fruit.  

Pack Counts: Conventional spring crop: 12-16; Organic spring crop: 12-16; Organic fall crop: 28-32 

BLUEBERRIES

blueberry

Chile

Quality: Quality on arrival and at origin is good.   

Volume: Heat waves, rain, and wildfires have cut the season short. This will be the last week containers will be received. 

Mexico

Quality: Quality is good with nice bloom and flavor.  

Volume: Volume has decreased slightly due to recent pruning, however, is forecasted to increase week-over-week as spring growers approach their peak in mid-to-late March.  

Oxnard

Quality: Quality is good with some redback. 

Volume: Volumes are increasing. Peak production is forecast for weeks 16-19. 

RASPBERRIES

raspberry

Mexico

Quality: Quality is good with occasional broken or overripe fruit.  

Volume: Production is steady. 

BLACKBERRIES

blackberry

Mexico

Quality: Quality is good with occasional red cell and leaky berries.  

Volume: Production is steady. 

SEPC Southern Exposure

March 6 – 8th
Orlando, FL

USHBC/NABC Blueberry Hill Climb

March 24 – 28th
Alexandria, VA

CPMA

April 8 – 10th
Montreal, Canada

IFPA Retail Conference

April 30 – May 1st
Dallas, TX

IFPA Washington Conference

June 9 – 11th
Washington, DC

Organic Produce Summit

July 9 – 11th 
Monterey, CA

IFPA Foodservice Conference

July 31 – August 1st
Monterey, CA

SEPC Southern Innovations

September 10 – 13th
Charlotte, NC

USHBC/NABC Blueberry Convention

October 8 – 10th
Seattle, WA

IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show

October 16 – 18th
Anaheim, CA

A berry nice note from a California Giant Berry Farms shopper:

“Great product! My kids love strawberries and I’ve purchased these for them and they are the best strawberries I have found in the area. Kudos to you!”

The Trade Buzz

Subscribe to The Buzz trade newsletter and receive weekly emails with the latest berry news.

The Berry Buzz logo

Subscribe the Berry Buzz Blog for the latest berry news, recipes, tips, videos and more!