Strawberry supply sees strong pricing

Overview of strawberries in the U.S. market, complemented by charts from Agronometrics. Original published on January 15, 2024.

Demand is high, and supply is low on strawberries right now. “It’s that time of the year. Supply is about 1/4 of what it is when berries are being shipped in the peak summer season,” says Alfredo Ruiz of Naturalar Fresh Inc. “It’s also been a challenge for the farms to produce strawberries while seeing rains and cold fronts, though the quality is still there.”

Currently, there are approximately 1,500-2,000 shipments per week–in peak season, that goes up to between 7,000-8,000 shipments weekly. Right now, 50 percent of the supply is from Florida, another 25 percent is from central Mexico, and another quarter is from California. “There have been rains in Plant City, Florida, which have reduced the volumes,” adds Ruiz.

While consumption of strawberries right now isn’t as high as in peak growing season, that stronger demand for the limited supply is putting prices on the higher end in the mid-$20s. “This is the peak as far as price goes,” says Ruiz, adding that it’s currently shipping 1 lb and 2lb. clamshells in its Millie’s Berries brand and organic and conventional strawberries. “The demand will be high, and the supply will be low for the next couple of weeks.”

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

Shifts in growing regions

Looking ahead, the supply is anticipated to increase in the coming weeks, and the pricing will likely come back down to the low $20s range. “Some of the central Mexican regions are already peaking on supply, and some will in the next few weeks,” Ruiz says. “It will be 20-30 percent more on the Mexican volume, and Florida will increase as well. It will still be another month of central Mexico shipments, and then it will shift to Baja California.”

As for Valentine’s Day, a peak strawberry supply consumption holiday, supply should be stronger by then. “Though I’m not sure that it will meet the demand then. It may be a little bit short on supply,” says Ruiz.

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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