February 20, 2018

Santa Maria: 

Weather has cooled down significantly in our California growing regions - with Santa Maria experiencing highs in the 50s much of the week, and nighttime lows reaching the low 30s with some frosty evenings and mornings under our belt. Nighttime freeze warnings will continue into tomorrow, with more moderate morning temperatures ahead in our forecast. On top of cooler temperatures, we have also seen some gusty winds, and foresee a 40 percent chance of rain predicted for Thursday. Our main focus currently is assessing weather damage from these harsh conditions. Overall, quality has looked clean, with 14-16 being the average count among all fruit. Our biggest challenge we are facing is wind scaring here and there and determining damage from this week. Fronteras is our cleanest crop in this region, with strong blossom underway. Monterey is facing slight discoloration, but this is typical of this variety at this stage. Our Portola organics are on the smaller side - 24-26 count, with good quality, full color, and firm. This cool weather has pumped the breaks in terms of production.

Oxnard: 

The Oxnard area experienced very cold temperatures this morning, with cold temperature alarms going off around 12:30am as temperatures hit 34.5 degrees. Wind machines then started around 1:00am as temperatures dropped to near freezing. Our organic field temperatures never dropped below 36 degrees, and while temperatures are frosty, there appears to be no freeze damage to the fruit or plants. We have one more cold night ahead of us, but it should not be as cold as last night. Weather the remainder of the week should stay in the low-mid 60s, with nighttime lows to stay in the high 30s- low 40s. Quality-wise conditions look good among our fields, with some misshaped fruit appearing here and there from the Santa Ana winds about a month ago. Color is 90-95 percent and size is 16-18 count among both San Andreas and Fronteras varieties. Size will remain steady, and looks very consistent this year.

Mexico: 

Zamora is headed for some hot days, with high temperatures in the lower 80s, with nighttime lows in the 50s. Days will be mostly sunny through February, with chances of rain moved to the first week of March. Quality is good, although we’re experiencing overripe issues due to high temperatures. Counts are mostly 24-26 - some lower.

Ziracuaretiro will see hot days ahead, with highs around the 80s and lows in the mid 50s. An 80 percent chance of rain is forecasted for this region for the first week of March. Los Reyes is also forecasted to have mostly sunny days through February. Quality among blackberries is good, with new crops kicking in the next few weeks so production is expected to increase. With the high temperatures, we may be seeing some regression, but for now things are flowing with 30-32 count in 6oz clamshells.

Our Raspberry crops look good; however, production is predicted to slow this week due to some crops harvesting their last fruit. We do have new fruit on the way so volume should increase in the coming weeks. Blueberry quality is as usual - looking great with minimal defects.  

Florida: 

It’s warmed up quite a bit in our Florida growing region – with temperatures in the low-mid 80s, and nighttime lows in the 60s. All fruit is on 2-day rounds, with more than enough labor to keep up on this picking cycle. Quality looks good, with slight bruising from warm weather and a subtle drop in production this week. Temperatures and humidity are high, so we're hoping for weather to slightly cool in the coming weeks. Radiance counts are 14-18, Sensation 12-14, Florida Beauty 20-22, and Radiance Plug 22-24. Our focus right now is keeping fruit on 2-day rounds and staying consistent with quality control.

Blueberries:

We had quite a lot of fruit come in from Chile over the weekend – but beyond that, volume is beginning to slow down significantly. We do foresee a gap in production come the first or second week of March – with domestic start dates for our Georgia season tentatively beginning April 6th. We have a lot of fruit coming from our Georgia region and look forward to a successful season ahead. Stay tuned for crop photos in the coming weeks!

 

It’s here! We’re debuting a new addition to the Trade Buzz newsletter all about berries and beyond, and while topics will vary each week – from berries on the menu, berries found on campus and more – we’re dishing useful insights for our partner’s to digest on all things berries. We thought we’d kick if off with some healthy menu trends featuring our mighty blue dynamos with some data from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. In a benchmark survey conducted by Tehchnomic of more than 300 foodservice professionals, Technomic found that customer interest in healthy dining options includes pushing colorful fruits onto menus. Blueberries, for example, are showing up in dishes served throughout the day and are reported as the third most-purchased fruit, trailing only strawberries and apples.

While blueberries—fresh, frozen, dried and canned—are most often an ingredient in breakfast items and desserts, chefs are using them in salads, smoothies and sauces as well. Seventy-three percent of the respondents say they’re interested in finding new ways to use them and half will offer more blueberry items in the future.

 

“We learned from a top 500 chain menu survey that blueberry mentions on menus boomed 97 percent between 2007 and 2013,” says Mark Villata, executive director for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC). “Now, this usage and attitude study gives us insight into why. That is, what are the drivers influencing decision makers to increase their use of blueberries?"

When asked why they like using blueberries, chefs and operators say:

• Blueberries are a healthy option for customers (82 percent)
• Blueberries are low-labor and easy to use (82 percent)
• Blueberries give the entire operation a health halo (58 percent)
• Menu prices can be higher for items that include blueberries (42 percent)

Blueberries prove to be a berry packed with a punch in the foodservice category – through its flavor, nutritional value  and diversity – it’s no wonder it’s increasing its menu presence. If you would like to receive similar insights in the future – feel free to email us here with feedback and recommendations for our next topic. 

 

This Nob Hill has some mighty fine 18oz blues. Yum!