CALIFORNIA - With both quantity and quality up for broccoli right now, this may just be the perfect opportunity for retailers to take advantage of for the upcoming summer holiday season.
“Right now there is low market pricing—demand is low and volumes are high,” Commodity Manager for Tanimura & Antle, Janelle Seebeck, tells me. “We expect volumes to drop off next week, however, and we are hoping for heightened demand, especially for the 4th of July.”
Retailers looking to capitalize on these great ad and promotional opportunities can use this opportunity to drive consumer buying behaviors, and growers can look forward to the market firming back up in the near future.
“Last year we saw the market dip in July, but this year our annual dip happened a month earlier,” D’Arrigo Brothers Sales Associate Ben Wilson adds. “This decrease in demand for Californian broccoli is typical for this time of year, unfortunately, it seems to be happening a bit sooner. By next week, our volumes should adjust to meet demand and the market should firm back up.”
As of June 24, 2015, the USDA reported broccoli prices out of Salinas—Watsonville, CA as the following:
- $6.00 - $9.50 for bchd 14s sizes
- $6.50 - $9.55 for bchd 18s sizes
“In general, the broccoli market is flooded with product right now, so the market price is down,” D’Arrigo Brothers Sales Associate Ben Wilson adds. “Tropical Storm Blanca caused temperatures to be warm and humid, especially at night, making for a lot of growth. Fortunately, D’Arrigo has had decent demand to get through these increased volumes,” Ben says.
Another bright side has emerged in this tale too, however. Quality for the abundant commodity is looking better than ever.
“There has been excellent quality. This past week the majority of our broccoli was all harvested in one cut, when normally it will take two or three cuts,” added Janelle.
Ben also echoed this sentiment, agreeing, “Quality has been excellent. As we head into these extra volumes, D’Arrigo is doing everything possible to keep this trend going.”
With the market looking up in Salinas, and retailers jumping on this great promotional opportunity, it looks like broccoli will be a commodity to watch.
