As the import blueberry season finishes up and the domestic season ramps up, greater supply is expected soon. "Mexico is covering most of the country. They took a short break during the Easter window which started to spike the price a little bit because the domestic supply was limited," says Joshua Minton of Frank Donio, Inc.
Peru is also winding down its production with some imports coming in still each week from larger shippers. However, it's not many containers compared to the country's peak supply.
Domestically, with some of the weather this week, Georgia delayed its crop by three to four days. "Georgia has had a lot of rain so they're hoping for a lot of dry days in the coming weeks," says Minton. "By next week we should be well underway with Georgia so the ship is starting to turn towards a good domestic production season." Florida has also started to come on now with some business outside of direct retail.
On the other side of the country, reports also indicate that California's crop is sizing up well too.
Demand staying strong
Meanwhile, demand for blueberries continues to be good and has been so since the start of the pandemic. "There's always demand for really good blueberries," Minton says. "It's always a favorite, especially for local berries."
Looking ahead, New Jersey historically starts its harvest around June 15th. "Last season we saw an early arrival around June 7-8 but we're still projecting around that June 15th window," says Minton. "There are plenty of buds on the bush. So long as we have some warm days, we'll be going by then."
He also adds that Frank Donio will have more organic supply this year compared to last. "We have roughly two times the volume on organics for the New Jersey season. We're looking at the market as the future and I think a lot of people are in the blueberry space," says Minton, adding that the supply will meet a continually expanding demand from retail for organic blueberries. "There are some retailers who want to do organic ads compared to conventional ads from now on which is interesting," he says, adding that while there's still a market for conventionally grown berries, more and more organic production is coming on. "That demand is there and if the price from a retail perspective is a little bit more than conventional, it would be worth it health benefit-wise."
For more information:
Joshua Minton
Frank Donio Inc.
Tel: +1 (609) 561-2466
Joshuaminton@donio.com
http://www.donio.com