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Cooler temperatures cause small gap in Florida strawberry supply

The supply of strawberries out of Florida is seeing an almost "mini gap" right now. "Supply is weaker than expected with the cold temperatures over the last couple of weeks," says Blair Greenhill, VP of purchasing for Nickey Gregory Company based in Forest Park, Georgia.

Florida had been on track with supply until now, despite the fall hurricanes that went through the region. "They were just a tad behind–not as much as they thought they would be from the hurricanes," says Greenhill, who says there were good shipment numbers even as far back as late November when normally growers were starting to "scratch" at fields.

Looking ahead, cooler temperatures, thanks to an arctic blast coming down through most of the continental U.S., are expected early next week which for the short term will keep growing temperatures cool in Florida. (Though not as cool as it's been in the last two weeks where temperatures were close to freezing in Central Florida.)

L: Greenhill says supply is weaker than expected with the cold temperatures over the last couple of weeks. Photo: Nickey Gregory Company; right, photo: Florida Strawberry Growers Association.

Good volumes for Valentine's Day expected
However, a positive outlook is further ahead. "With temperatures coming back up, most Florida growers are expecting supply to ramp up in the last week of this month, just in time for the Valentine's Day pull," says Greenhill.

In the meantime, Mexican strawberry production continues to ramp up and there is a greater supply of Mexican fruit than Florida fruit at the moment. California meanwhile is in its low production period with some limited volumes coming out of Oxnard and Santa Maria.

As for demand for strawberries, it's average though it's expected to strengthen as those greater supplies come on. The cooler temperatures that have been seen recently across the U.S. could contribute to that slower-than-usual demand.

So where is all of this leaving pricing? Florida pricing has strengthened following the cold temperatures while Mexican pricing has softened following its increase in production.

For more information:
Blair Greenhill
Nickey Gregory Company
Tel: +1 (404) 366-7410
https://nickeygregory.com/