November 20, 2018

Happy Tuesday,

It's the final countdown - this week is all about family, food, and being thankful. We are thankful for each and every one of our trade partners, and look forward to another prosperous, collaborative year with you all. The fall-winter months mean our crops have transitioned mostly to our Mexico, Florida and South America growing regions - continuing to provide year-round availability of all four berries as our California growing regions begin to slow. Quality is great as we approach the holiday, and berries take center-stage on Thanksgiving menus.

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

Crop Updates

Watsonville - Salinas:

Weather has been in the mid-high 60s and low 40s at night. There is a chance of rain on the forecast for Wednesday-Friday this week. Quality looks good – with no decay in the fields. The only quality concern right now is some green fruit here and there. Counts are 24-26 with some 28-20. Organics are 30-34 count. Overall, fruit looks clean and strong. Most growers will give ranches back the first week of December – so the season will end soon regardless of rainfall.

IMG_4498-1

Santa Maria:

Next week we will be cooling down into the high 60s during the day, and high 40s at night. We are anticipating a chance of rain potentially Wednesday through Friday – with 40% chances in the forecast. If we get rain, numbers could go down significantly. Conventional counts are 22-25, while organics are 25-28.

Oxnard:

We had Santa Ana winds almost 6 days straight last week both day and night – the longest spell we have had in years. Winds did slightly damage young fruit, but nothing overly significant. Weather will be cooling down next week and nights will be in the low 50s. Rain is on the forecast but chances are low. Fruit quality looks good at 95-100% color, and counts are mostly 20-22 count. We anticipate steady picking for the next 4-5 weeks. We could start scratching our new crop - organic San Andreas – by Dec. 10.

Mexico:

Weather in all regions is mostly in the mid 80s with nighttime lows in the 50s. Maravatío is slightly cooler than our other regions in the mid 70s and dropping to low-mid 40s at night. There are no predictions for rain in the forecast - days are sunny and nights are clear. Strawberries are getting bigger, looking firm, and our only minor concern is slight white shoulders. Counts mostly 24-26, and some up to 30. Blackberry quality is good and stable; chilly nights have helped quality. Raspberries downsized a bit but still good quality, firm and consistent coloring. Blueberries as usual, look great and are showing minimal issues.

2018-11-20_09-40-45-395

2018-11-20_09-40-39-124

2018-11-12_16-15-57-807

2018-11-12_16-15-57-341

Blueberries:

Last week our Chilean blueberries were struck by a hail storm, which did affect produce overall grown in various regions including blueberries, apples and cherries - apples and cherries being the most affected from the hail. We estimate a very small percentage of overall damage from the storm, with most of our growers dodging the aftermath. Overall, quality in South America continues to look strong and volume is predicted to increase in the weeks ahead.

Florida:

Weather has been relatively cold in the high 60s and nighttime lows in the upper 40s. These cold temperatures should size up fruit. Next week, weather will bump up to the 70s, and come December, highs should stay in the 80s and 60s at night. Going forward we do not see significant chances of rain, and quality is looking good overall. Sensations are 26-28 count, Brilliance is 26-28, and Radiance is 28-30.

Image Today at 9_56_59 AM

Image Today at 9_56_58 AM-1

Image Today at 9_56_58 AM-2

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

Calling all local produce friends - swing by and say hi to our team on December 7th at our Watsonville New West cooler and bring a donation for Share your Holiday.

Come hungry, because for every donation we receive between 12-2pm, we'll also be giving back lunch at our first ever Giving Back BBQ. We hope to see you there!

Reaching Consumers

We're a week into our 10 days of Giving promotion and love all the comments we're receiving from our consumers about what and who they are most thankful for this Thanksgiving season. We're surprising a few lucky participants and those they are thankful for with a $50 Visa Gift card during the promotion, and in the meantime, sharing our favorite berry-inspired Thanksgiving recipes from our California Giant kitchen to theirs!

Notes from Nick

Many of you may already know Director of Retail Sales, Nick Chappell, but if you don't, we're introducing the face behind our retail business! Nick is a retail sales expert with almost 20 years on the sales team here at California Giant, and he has a lot to share from his perspective on retail insights, emerging trends, and personal experiences. Each month, we'll share Notes from Nick to get our partners connected and in-the-know with the latest retail news straight from the man himself.

Tom Talks

This just in! We received the United Fresh Insights for Foodservice report, and wow - we aren't quite sure where to start with the plethora of fall produce trends we are seeing and excited about.

While fall flavors include in-season staples like butternut squash and apples, we can't help but swoon over breakfast bowls and berry-pairings. The days of traditional morning eats like scrambled eggs, toast, bacon and hash browns are now in bowl format - but they're not just savory, either. Oatmeal and yogurt bowls are gracing menus with fresh ingredients like berries, chia seeds, coconut and bananas.

'The main emphasis in modern breakfast bowls is the use of fresh ingredients as a opposed to pre-made, giving dishes a health halo and also allowing operators to incorporate seasonal ingredients when they’re at their peak quality. When it comes to menuing breakfast bowls, using fresh produce can help operators stand out from the competition and also add a premium spin to their offerings.'

Our Director of Foodservice, Tom Smith, sees the demand of these fresh, nutrient-dense bowls, especially in the fast casual and midscale dining restaurants.

In the last 4 years, breakfast bowl penetration has increased 26% in the West and 27% in the Northeast - telling us that customers in these geographical locations are all about the breakfast bowl craze. Not only that, berries are the second highest top menued produce item among the breakfast bowl category.

Not only are restaurants upping their produce supply and serving up tasty trends this fall - our schools are too. Various K-12 foodservice directors weighed in on their back-to-school fall menus, and there was no shortage of fresh, delicious fruits and veggies.

“In addition to apples, oranges, bananas, and grapes, we are serving cantaloupe, honeydew melons, pears, grape tomatoes, and baking sweet potatoes,"said Stephanie Walker Hynes, Director of Child Nutrition for Little Rock School District in Arkansas. "We are also using fresh strawberries in our breakfast smoothies!"

The days of holiday snacking and comfort food haven't gone anywhere, they've just gotten that much healthier, especially in our schools.

Consumer Spotlight

This 'berry family' is more like a berry tribe!

Pick of the Week

Sunnyside Produce in Soquel, CA has our fresh, seasonal blackberries on display.

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

November 20, 2018

Leave a Comment

Subscribe

Recent Posts