Good prognosis

“The growing conditions so far have been excellent. We have had a bit of heat in the last few days, but everything is fine. The weather seems cooler for the next 10 days, so these are ideal conditions, ”says Michael McMillan of Portland, Oregon-based Bridges Organic Produce.

The harvest is likely to start at the usual time, between June 15 and 25, and should be shipped until the middle to the second half of September. “The strongest promotional window tends to be the last week of June, which can be a bit of a stretch for how the season will start, but then it will continue through July and the first week of August. That's the strongest period for volumes, ”says McMillan.

Volume will also increase this season, which is a pattern the industry has been seeing in recent years. As plantings mature they tend to produce heavier volumes. “There is a desire and a drive to help increase consumption, which seems to be the natural trajectory,” says McMillan.

Anticipating strong demand

On the demand side, McMillan believes it will be strong this season. "Especially with organic fruits, since people make a conscious decision to buy organic, those are decisions that they tend to ignore," he says. Also helping the demand are the higher volumes that are coming and that can lead to prices becoming more accessible and parallel to conventional items. “There are also more opportunities for retailers to promote and deliver health and sustainability messages to consumers. So we see good demand going forward, "adds McMillan.

High Quality

The demand for work around the quality of the fruit in the industry also helps. In Bridges, it tends to heavily prune the fruit, which of course leads to larger fruit. “As the industry becomes a year-round staple, some of the importance of regional shows is lost. Our goal is to provide an exceptional quality seasonal experience to our customers,” he says. Also taken into account is the Draper berry variety that Bridges focuses on. “It has set the bar for consumer expectations for fresh produce around size, Brix degrees and pressure. The question is what's next and what's next for Draper? How do other varieties reflect those characteristics in different market windows that are mainly later? McMillan asks.

Record in sales

In the meantime, this upcoming season, McMillan anticipates that the price could match historic levels. “Last year it was a good price market,” he says. “Looking at the spikes that are happening now in California and Mexico, those are parallel to what they have been in the past, so I anticipate that the prices will be comparable.”