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Watsonville-Salinas:
Some growers and ranches began picking this Monday in Watsonville-Salinas – with most to start walking fields next week and our official season really kicking off in just 10 days. As of now, we are still seeing some damage in the fields from the previous winter storms and should transition from our ‘mud crop’ to our primary fruit for the season in just over a week. We have great size on the horizon with counts 9-12, which should continue through April and into May. Weather has been favorable in the low-mid 70s which should help numbers in the Watsonville-Salinas region moving forward. Field personnel will begin walking bushberry fields the first or second week of May. Our New West cooler officially opens back up for the season this Monday.
Santa Maria:
Weather has recently been in the high 70s-low 80s with nights in the 50s. However, temperatures have cooled down slightly this week with heavy wind and foggy mornings. That said, it’s been a series of 'yo-yo' weather as of lately, but we have no rain on the forecast for the remainder of April. San Andreas counts are 14-16, some 18-22, and overall fruit looks nice with a good shine to it. Monterey is 12-16 and still showing some signs of damage, but general quality looks good. Fronteras is 16-18 with some 22, and various shades of red, slightly soft and sensitive the first half of the week. Adjusting to a 2-3 day picking schedule will help with color consistency moving forward with this variety. Our organic crop looks excellent at 14-16 count. All varieties look good, clean and have great color and appearance – with no issues at all to report on organics.
Oxnard:
Last week weather was warm in the low 80s and then dropped down again into the 70s as temperatures slowly started cooling down into this week. In addition to temperatures cooling down slightly, winds started to pick up with gusts in the 25-35 mph range. Winds started dying down into yesterday evening, and the rest of the week should remain in the low 70s with nighttime lows in the mid-50s – a little warmer than usual. That said, due to the winds and warmer nighttime temperatures the past few days we are seeing some overripe and soft fruit in the fields, but are keeping a close eye on pack quality and ensuring we are keeping out any defective fruit. We are going to stay on a 3-day picking schedule to ensure top quality and fresh fruit as we continue to harvest through our peak production. Fronteras and San Andreas are 16-18 count, with some 20 and holding 95-100% color. Organic counts are 18-20, and we are doing our best to keep counts in the high teens. Labor is tightening up earlier in the week, and not as many people are looking for work at the moment.
Blueberries:
Georgia Blueberries:
Georgia blueberries are off to a great start with size, quality and volume. The crop is anticipated to peak around the first week of May. Temperatures in Homerville, Georgia are in the 80s with partly cloudy skies this week, and potential for rain this Sunday.
Oxnard Organic Blueberries:
Our Oxnard organic blueberries continue to have good quality, and are expected to peak in volume toward the end of April into the first week of May. Weather this week will remain in the low-mid 70s with mostly sunny skies.
Mexico:
Weather across Central Mexico is remaining in the mid-high 80s during the day, with nighttime lows in the 40-50s and no rain in sight. Winds are seen picking up throughout the day and range from 8-15 mph and they have the potential to make hoops collapse. Raspberry quality is good, and field personnel are doing a good job selecting color and keeping defective fruit out of clamshells. In Zamora and Jocotepec, volume is expected to increase on a weekly basis since long harvest fields are increasing in numbers. In Irapuato, volume should remain steady and increase during the end of May and June – similar with Maravatio where volume is also expected to remain steady. As for organic raspberries, labor became an issue, which led to various quality defects in the crop and resulted in a shorter season for our organic grower. Blueberries have past their peak of production and volume is slowly beginning to decrease. Despite slowing numbers, quality has been very good and rejections have been almost non-existent. As for blackberries, volume is expected to remain steady for the next few weeks, and quality is good overall with a few minor defects such as soft and leaky berries due to heat, but nothing significant.
For up-to-date weather conditions in all of our growing regions, click on the region below. Wunderground.com is our go-to weather resource for fast and reliable weather updates.
Big volumes ahead means big strategy implementation from our sales-marketing teams. As we head into our peak volume periods ahead, we want to ensure that we continue to strategically move fruit while generating consumer awareness with our brand. That said, we will be offering a $.25 coupon starting the week of Easter and into May through our new Destini Product Locator on our site and on Facebook to continue to drive the path to purchase during these heavy-volume months ahead. In doing so, we look forward to simultaneously capturing retail insights to be able to bring back to our partners about where consumers are looking for their California Giant berries, exactly what berries they're searching for, and more.
Anyone else salivating over this fluffy dessert topped with sliced California Giant strawberries? Well, our very own California Giant Chef Invitational Top Chef Luis Reyes of Sysco West Coast Florida continues to innovate in his kitchen, and presented to us another decadent recipe to add to our content. This Brown Butter Cake with Mocha Mousse and Fresh Strawberries is a light, flavorful sweet treat to take into spring. We look forward to all the other recipes to come from our 2019 Chef Invitational - with entry submissions only 3 weeks away! Have your chef's entered their recipes yet? If not - they can here. Chefs have until May 1st to submit their recipe entries to be considered to compete.
