It's been a noteworthy year with organic blueberries. "Every region seems to have a pretty decent crop," says Stephen Paul, tree fruit and blueberry category director for Homegrown Organic Farms.
Paul says every region seems to have a pretty decent crop of organic blueberries.
Following Georgia's full crop, there were initial questions about California's crop. "That was because of the weather in the spring–some areas had hail–but as it all leveled out, there was plenty of fruit," says Paul. That said, organic supply was shorter than the plentiful conventional side though overall, it could be the most production the state has had since 2021.
This week though, heat is hitting California and temperatures will reportedly climb into the 100s+ for most of the week. This means growers are watching the blueberry crops to see how they fare. "There's still a great deal of fruit to be picked in the Fresno County area and then going north into the Delta. The question is, come Monday/Tuesday, what will the rest of that fruit look like?" says Paul, noting that it has been a season of good eating quality fruit.
PNW organic production
Looking north to the Pacific Northwest, it should begin "scratching" between June 17-23 on its full crop. "We hope retailers are looking at a strong six-week promotion period from the last week of June into the first or second week in August," says Paul.
The Pacific Northwest should begin "scratching" organic blueberries between June 17-23.
He also hopes that the industry will focus on quality in terms of putting the best fruit into the market–particularly given there looks to be a resurgence in the processing side of the business. "If you've got fruit that's marginal, that needs to go there," says Paul. "Let's make sure we give customers our best quality fruit consistently because the competition for the dollar, given our economy, is strong."
As for demand, it's been fairly good. "This isn't a year we can retire on a financial level but we can be sustainable for next year and that's what growers are asking for in a year where you have a lot of fruit," says Paul.
Looking at organic stone fruit
Meanwhile, organic stone fruit is also having a notable year, starting with having a mild–not cold–winter this year. The season also had a decent set for fruit, though the front third of the season saw a lot of smaller fruit at higher prices.
The state, though, is reaching the middle of its season, and the fruit is now sizing up, given the longer time on the trees. "There will be plenty of fruit for the 4th of July–in fact, both organic blueberries and organic stone fruit should see a very nice holiday opportunity," says Paul, noting that this year's July 4th falls on a Thursday, which means an extended holiday sales period.
The organic stonefruit season also had a decent set for fruit, though the front third of the season saw a lot of smaller fruit at higher prices.
"Movement has been good so far but let's see how the middle third reacts," says Paul. "We're cautiously optimistic."
Both organic blueberries and organic stone fruit will be topics of conversation for Homegrown Organic Farms at the upcoming Organic Produce Summit July 10-11 in Monterey, California. "We're going to showcase what we're harvesting now but also give them something exciting for the fall with our fall fruit," says Paul, adding that it will also discuss items such as its berry import program, its fall specialty fruit program, and more. "People will understand more that we are growing our program diversity and availability of unique commodities on a year-round basis. We have a lot to say. However, if you really want to know, you have to come to our booth, #400!"
For more information:
Elise Smith
Homegrown Organic Farms
Tel.: (+1) 559-306-1777
[email protected]
www.hgofarms.com