The mini lettuce category continues to grow and as one grower-shipper puts it, "as a consumer favorite, Romaine lettuce is at the heart (pun intended) of it all."
Why? "The mini Romaine head has a low core, which creates uniformly sized leaves when cut," says Jeff Feldeisen, Commodity Manager, of Ippolito International LP. "This is helpful to the consumer and chef who is looking for a smaller leaf compared to a full size. This product is well suited for quick and easy salad prep."
Supply is plentiful and should remain so over the next few weeks.
Right now, the supply of mini Romaine is currently being grown in the Salinas Valley, a region with good growing weather recently. Supply is plentiful and should remain so over the next few weeks. Growing will stay in this region until approximately mid-November when production transitions to the Arizona desert.
While mini Romaine heads are top of mind, Ippolito has also been working with a variety that was successful in trials and is ready to bring to market. "In addition to our mini-romaine whole head program, we have been expanding our romaine-based fresh-cut products," says Feldeisen. "Our chopped and shredded romaine is showing success among our foodservice customers, and our iceberg- and romaine-based salad programs have also been developed further. Also, we have recently launched a romaine whole leaf program."
Consumers know romaine
So how is the demand for romaine? "There's good demand on romaine hearts and lots of customer interest on the new packs," says Feldeisen, adding that while the market has been steady, it's also been depressed for a while now. However as local deals finish up, there are likely better markets ahead. "We also expect this product line to grow since romaine is already established among customers and this is a natural line extension," says Feldeisen.
Feldeisen expects this product line to grow since romaine is already established among customers.
To no surprise, these new products will be hot topics for Ippolito at booth #B3761 at the upcoming Global Produce & Floral Show in Atlanta, Georgia October 17-19. It's there where the company hopes to expand its customer base on some additional product lines it will present. "Visitors can expect to see a new look to our booth along with these new product releases. We will be sampling some new and very exciting retail products, so make sure to stop by and grab a bite of something new," says Feldeisen.
For more information:
Ippolito International
[email protected]
https://www.qvproduce.com/