July 20, 2018

Happy Friday!

It's almost the weekend, but first we have some updates. Last week was our First Annual Chef Invitational and we are happy to announce Sysco Chef Luis Reyes as our Top Chef with his berry tomato and beet salad as the winning recipe. Our staff would like to congratulate our partner Sysco and Chef Luis Reyes on this huge accomplishment, and also thank all participating partners, chefs and sponsors for making the Chef Invitational possible. While we wrapped up this event, we are well underway onto the next - with Tour de Fresh just days away. Be sure to follow our @tourdefresh social channels close next week to join in on all the fun, and remember to donate here if you haven't already!

For more information, including crop and weather reports, please scroll below.

Crop Updates

Watsonville - Salinas:

Weather has been in the 70s all week in Salinas, Watsonville has been similar and should continue in the 70s all next week as well. While there was potential for a heat wave next week, we are glad to see the projected lower temperatures in the forecast to dodge this heat. Quality has been better since the last heat wave and fruit is looking lighter and stronger. We anticipate a climb in volume come August, with a big leap in production come September once Watsonville-Santa Maria are both in full swing with the fall crop underway. Bushberry numbers are looking to increase week by week, with their peak anticipated for September. We are also beginning to see labor shorten on Mondays and Saturdays due to sick leave. We foresee much of the industry starting to deal with this as well.

Santa Maria:

Weather in this region is anticipated to remain in the 70s-80s the next 20 days. Quality among strawberries is stable with counts at 20-24 among conventional berries and 22-26 among organics. Santa Maria blackberries look good, with strong plants and a lot of flowers. We have big fruit, and minor sun damage from the heatwave we had the other week.

Blueberries:

Weather has been warm in our PNW regions - with fruit quality looking good, but not great due to last week's heat wave. The market conditions have resulted in low volume the next 1-2 weeks, but we foresee this improving - with weather to also hopefully remain in our favor.

Santa Cruz Warriors Field Tour:

We are proud sponsors of the local Santa Cruz Warriors team, and thought it was about time to host a field tour with some of their staff! For many on the team, it was their first experience walking through strawberry fields in their own backyard. Not only were we happy to answer growing and operational questions and tour our cooling facilities, but we also got to enjoy breakfast in the field!

Weather Conditions

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.

News

It's been a busy week in our Cal Giant kitchens! Our team came together Tuesday to prepare countless lunches for those within our community with proceeds to help local organizations in our own backyard. With over 1,000 lunches and over $13,000 raised, we couldn't be happier with another successful Skirt Steak BBQ. Thank you to all that participated, donated and purchased lunches - it's a collective effort that makes this possible. We'll see you next year!

Reaching Consumers

We're rolling into the weekend and rolling out the bikes, because we are officially just days away from kicking off our 5th Annual Tour de Fresh! This year's ride begins in Kirkwood California and finishes on the beautiful coast of Monterey for a 300+ mile ride. Our riders have a long 4 days ahead of them, but also A LOT of fun. By fun, we mean a festival to conclude the ride at the Wharf Marketplace in Monterey. We're calling all local produce (and non-produce) friends, family, colleagues, and ride supporters to come out Thursday, July 26th to celebrate our riders and their huge accomplishment of riding to raise funds for Salad Bars to Schools at our first ever Finish Line Festival. Come check out the live music, food trucks, our sponsor booths and their swag, samples and more. We hope to see you there! And don't forget - you can still donate to your rider of choice here!

Who: Tour de Fresh

What: Finish Line Festival

When: Thursday, July 26th 12pm-3pm

Where: Wharf Marketplace, 290 Figueroa St, Monterey, CA 93940

Foodservice

Have you heard the news? Sysco Chef Luis Reyes took the title of Top Chef in our First Annual Chef Invitational last week. We want to give a special congratulations to both Luis and our partners at Sysco for this huge accomplishment. From the culinary tastings from the talented chefs, to the delicious sponsored wine and food pairings - it was truly a memorable culinary experience from start to finish. We are already looking forward to another successful event next year!

Featured: Sysco Chef Luis Reyes Winning Recipe - Berry Tomato and Beet Salad

Consumer Spotlight

A sweet message from a California Giant Facebook friend!

Pick of the Week

Cal Giant blues spotted at a New York market!

Send us your own "pick of the week" and we will feature it here!

July 20, 2018

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