SALINAS, CA - Mother Nature has changed her tune in the cauliflower growing regions, leading to promotable volumes for retailers to work with.
This is a notable change from this time two months ago, when cold weather had a tight grip on the market and prices were as high as industry members have seen them, as Church Brothers’ Jason Lathos, Commodity Manager, and Ippolito’s Tami Gutierrez, Vice President of Sales and Cauliflower Commodity Manager, took the time to share with me.
“It’s the major roller coaster of all commodities – 27 years of business, and I've never seen a FOB market of 49 dollars,” Tami says in reference to the tight market that has now dipped as growers in both Imperial and Yuma have begun producing heavier supplies.
While Tami shared that the market could take a couple of weeks to level itself out again, the “roller coaster” itself is that cauliflower more than most can adjust and then re-adjust quickly, as Jason can also attest.
“Of the five major commodities, cauliflower is the market that you can have years of experience, look at past dates and Mother Nature, and still not predict,” Jason tells me.
While we are still looking for that happy medium, Jason added that the market is not nearly so volatile as it has been.
The great news for retail, he adds, is that there are promotable volumes for the increasing popularity and versatility cauliflower is enjoying from consumers.
“It’s an active item on the consumer end,” he says, adding that it's being used a wide range of ways as chefs become more experimental with produce. “Once you get it back to a normal FOB, you’ll see the orders come back on.”
And with Valentine’s Day around the corner, one of the biggest eating holidays as sweethearts look to treat each other with a little healthy indulgence, the horizon looks like a good one for those promotions.
For more information on all current produce markets, keep checking in with AndNowUKnow.
