WINTER HAVEN, FL - In this peak of the holiday entertaining season, I find myself surviving off of strawberries dipped in the cascading spray of chocolate fountains—or even by themselves. In my humble opinion, the berry variety makes for the perfect holiday party hors d’oeuvre, which is one reason I suspect the strawberry market is so tight around the holiday season.
Because strawberries are so pivotal this time of the year to shoppers—and party guests—I checked in with Always Fresh Farms to make sure retailers—and by extension holiday hosts—would be well-supplied with only the best of the berry variety.
“We’re currently in the first three weeks of our strawberry season, which will last a total of four months. So far, quality is very good as the weather has been cool and dry here in Florida,” Matt Sumner, Sales, shared with me. “We are anticipating increased volume early this year due to better varieties, such as Brilliance and Sensation.”
Matt explained that as product volume increases, the prices for the strawberry market will come down slightly—but that the market should remain tight through the holiday season.
“I’m expecting the tight market to level off after the holidays as volume increases,” Matt forecasted. “Florida fruit quality is excellent, and sizing will get larger as the season moves along, so I suggest retailers anticipate promotional volumes hitting stores by mid-January, weather permitting.”
For more of the latest from produce’s most bountiful growing fields around the U.S., keep checking back with AndNowUKnow for market updates like this.
