Berries are competitively priced in Canada right now. However, that's not the case with strawberry pricing. "There are a lot of berries around and they are very cheap," says Richard Donsky of Mister Produce.
In fact, Donsky says he often has to explain to customers why the prices go up and down during the year. "People don't often realize that the more expensive produce is, the worse quality it is because there's not a lot around and you're buying what's available," he says. "When it's better priced, it means everybody has it."
Strawberry growing regions
Right now, there is some strawberry supply in Canada from Mexico, California, and some from Florida. Other berries are arriving from South America.
"As for demand, it is looking great–it's steady for berries," says Donsky, noting that generally berries see steady demand. Pricing on raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries has been competitive for a few weeks now and he believes that it is likely to stay that way in the near future at least. "Right now you can get two flats of blueberries for the price of a flat of strawberries," he says, adding that it's likely that demand will not be driving any pricing change. "Once we see more Mexican or Florida strawberries in good numbers, we'll start to see that price drop drastically."
For more information:
Richard Donsky
Mister Produce
Tel: +1 (416) 252-9191 ext 10
[email protected]
https://www.misterproduce.com/