Bobalu Details Peak Strawberry Season in Weekly Crop Update; Cindy Jewell Shares

Overview of table strawberries from California in the U.S. market, complemented by charts from Agronometrics. Original published on April 26, 2024.

CALIFORNIA – There is certainly room for excitement as peak strawberry season is here! Bobalu’s latest crop update revealed abundant opportunities ahead of Mother’s Day, with excellent fruit ready to wow shoppers in terms of flavor, color, and size.

“Now is the time those strawberry displays should be front and center in the department with inviting pricing and promotion to draw shoppers in and build on additional sales at checkout,” Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing, shared in a recent report. “Key Spring holidays are approaching, and weather is improving across the country, so demand is there.”

As the grower reports, sunny days and somewhat cool nights have kept plants healthy, leading to what is predicted to be a long and profitable spring and summer here in California.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics.
(Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

“…We seem to be catching up after so many weather disruptions both here and in receiving markets,” Cindy stated. “We have quickly pivoted to steady volume and harvesting every day with our fields on a three-day rotation. Now, we look forward to our retail partners also quickly pivoting to draw the consumers into the produce department as shoppers expect to see strawberries promoted for the next several weeks and months.”

California volume is ramping up statewide due to this optimum weather, with total volume reaching 6.7 million trays last week.

“This was well ahead of last year, but behind the record year we had in 2022,” Cindy notes. “It appears overall weekly numbers will continue to increase for the next several weeks. At the same time, we are hearing that crossings from Mexico and Baja will continue to decline as California increases.”

The News in Charts is a collection of stories from the industry complemented by charts from Agronometrics to help better tell their story.

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