Raspberry and blackberry supplies are about to shift in the marketplace.
Blackberries: “We were seeing a short supply of blackberries because of Central Mexico rains a few weeks ago impacting quality. So while some blackberries were available, some weren’t the right quality,” says Carlos Madariaga of Berries Paradise noting that many berries went to the process or terminal markets.
The region is reaching the end of its rainy period and drier weather makes for better conditions for the fruit. “We will now see better quality of fruit with better shelf life and supply increasing,” he says, noting a first peak will be reached in December.
That has left high prices on blackberries over the last three to four weeks. “On spot pricing, we saw prices getting into the high $20s maybe 10 days ago,” says Madariaga. “Companies like us who are program driven and try to maintain steadier prices probably saw more low to mid $20s. All of that is high for blackberries.”
Raspberries: Raspberries are getting into peak weeks as an industry. “There is whatever is left in California but Central Mexico is providing the majority of fruit,” Madariaga adds. “It’s between 3,000-3,500 tons per week.” There's still a flush of raspberries coming in the next few weeks and then once December arrives, supply might get tighter and pricing will pick up.
On raspberries, demand has been good. “Given blueberries have been short for two months and raspberries have been available, demand is okay and probably better than last year and pricing is decent on programs,” Madariaga comments.
The impact of more blueberries
Looking ahead, as greater blueberry volumes come on, what will that mean for demand? “Peru has already passed peak production--45 percent less than what they had a year ago--and they’re winding down. We’ll see two more weeks with similar volumes coming into the U.S. but in the second half of December, we’ll probably see short supply again. It depends on how Chile will come along with blueberries,” Madariaga says, adding that more ads will come on as Thanksgiving gets closer.
Meanwhile, on berry development, Madariaga notes that Berries Paradise has several varieties of blueberries and raspberries that it says offer outstanding quality and preference from a consumer standpoint. Though on blackberries, he notes, there’s still work to do. “There are more genetics in the pipeline in trial and we’re expecting to bring it on a commercial scale for blackberries and raspberries,” he says. That will likely come between 2024 and 2025.
At the same time, the company just added some strawberry programs and a trio-mix berry pack earlier this year to its portfolio making it a full-category supplier. “In the near future, we want to have all four berries available 52 weeks a year with differentiated genetics,” he says.
For more information:
Yulma Amador Navarro
Berries Paradise
[email protected]
www.berriesparadise.com