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Regarding COVID-19: California Giant is working hard to make every effort to ensure the health and safety of our colleagues and coworkers, while maintaining SAFE business and supply continuity of fresh berries to our customers. All areas of our supply chain continues to emphasize thorough sanitation practices and social distancing protocols. Thank you for being a valued customer of California Giant - We are all in this together!
The weather in greater Watsonville area has been really nice this past week with temperatures in the mid-80’s and clear. We’re headed into a mild cooling pattern over the weekend and expect a nice week ahead in the mid-70’s. The fruit quality has been great. Crews have had to watch out for soft, dark and bronzed fruit in the afternoons due to the high heat – but overall the packs are beautiful.
Santa Maria has had wet and foggy mornings, followed by high 80’s, up to 90’s in some areas this week. Weekend is forecasted to cool down into the mid-60’s and lead into a windy and warm week ahead with temperatures expected to reach low 80’s. Conventional strawberry counts are averaging 18-22, with some packs reaching up to 24. Crews are working hard to keep packs clean and free of soft and bruised fruit.
Organic Strawberries:
Quality is good, still seeing some bruising and bronzing due to the heat. Size is ranging in the 20-22, with very few in the upper twenties. Overall, organic is slightly larger in Salinas/Watsonville than in Santa Maria. In Santa Maria, overall, quality is good. Counts are averaging 24-26. Right now, the size looks like it may come back around the beginning of July and we should see a slight increase in volume then as well. Santa Maria volumes are peaking and will continue for the next two weeks before slowly tapering down. Labor in Santa Maria and Oxnard is starting to tighten up as we see all areas of California growing regions and beyond flourish. Growers continue their planting for the fall harvest which is anticipated to begin mid-August. So far, plants are taking well and we’re seeing good uniform growth.
Raspberries
Watsonville-Salinas:
The raspberries are looking great and remain on schedule to increase in volume beginning next week, with peak towards the end of June.
Blackberries
Watsonville-Salinas:
First official pick of the Watsonville blackberries will start today, with very light volumes to start – peaking in two weeks.
Georgia:
Next weeks harvest is expected to be below forecast due to the current wet weather and anticipated tropical storm. We do not expect to see an effect on quality, however, as we are still early in the season. Volumes will build quickly after next week, with peak in early July.
Blueberries
Mexico:
Focusing on maintaining consistent fruit size. Overall quality is good. Production will continue to decline in the coming weeks out of Mexico. The spring crop will finish around week 27 for both conventional and organic fruit.
Georgia
This week Georgia saw temps in the 80’s and wet weather. A tropical storm is expected to come through Sunday and last as long as 5 days. The wet weather has growers fighting some fair and poor quality, including splits and soft berries which has led to and will continue to effect harvest volumes. Appearance looks mostly good: good size and good bloom, but splits getting into the pack are a concern. Growers are keeping a close eye on this in order to maintain our high quality standards for fresh packs.
Central Valley California:
We saw extreme high temperatures in the central valley this week, which led to decreased production. Weather is expected to remain the same into next week, therefore anticipate a higher incidence of soft and shriveled fruit. Packers are working hard to sort out soft and shriveled berries and maintain a good pack.
Oregon:
First pick date is expected to be June 15th, with volumes ramping up during week 26 and peak in early July. Fruit sets are looking good and it appears that most of our farms had a very good pollination this spring. Berries are sizing up and we are seeing the first signs of coloring in duke fields this week.
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.
This week, beat the heat with a snack that'll keep you energized and a refreshing cocktail that will keep you cool for the summer!
A berry sweet message from a Super Saver shopper:
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"Just went to the grocery store this morning and bought 5 flats of your strawberries. Oh my gosh they are so sweet and delicious. When I found your website I looked you guys up and was so interested in your whole operation. Oh what fun it would be to visit your farms. So educational- would be nice to show the grand kids where strawberries actually come from. Thank you again for a wonderful and delicious product." |
We love seeing this focus of Healthy Savings on this California Giant Raspberry display and messaging around the freshness of our products!
