RIO RICO, AZ - Bell peppers are a staple in my household, and I’m willing to venture it’s the same for many of your shoppers as well. The versatile vegetable goes great in salads, stir-frys, or snacks, making it a repeat item on shoppers’ lists. With the popularity of this category continuing to grow, I got in touch with Eduardo Herbst, Director of Grower Relations for SunFed®, to dive into its incoming pepper production.
“Right now, we are working out of Navolato, located in Sinaloa, Mexico. Weather has been a bit of an issue lately, as overcast mornings have kept production moderate,” Eduardo tells me. “We’re waiting for the fruit to come in, and with sunny days forecasted for the remainder of the month, it should be a perfect spike in production.”
An opportune time as we are about to welcome spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. As we approach some of the warmest days of the month down in Mexico, the increase in production will make colored peppers a promotable item. SunFed is harvesting the whole rainbow of peppers, with peak production to occur toward the end of the month.
“Going into Easter, we should be pulling just in time for the holiday. Overall, we are seeing a fair supply with moderate demand,” continues Eduardo. “As the weather continues to affect the next region of production, I feel like retailers should be able to handle the extra volume coming across.”
Over the next couple of weeks, as the weather cooperates across the United States and Mexico, the bell pepper selection will gradually improve, thus driving demand. To highlight this wonderful crop coming through the market, SunFed will be preparing competitive pricing and programs for buyers, including special pack sizes.
“We are going to be providing a variety of pack styles and special pack offerings in the coming weeks,” Eduardo explains. “The green bell pepper market is hot right now. And with the spring heat coming through, we anticipate a good demand around Easter.”
The effort to monitor the production and bring timely holiday offerings is thanks in large part to SunFed’s dedicated workers. As labor issues continue to affect the industry, the company is doing its part in treating its employees with care and attention to retain workers throughout the season. Benefits such as daycare, kindergarten and elementary schools, medical access, an athletic field, and housing units are but a few of the amenities SunFed provides right at the farm level.
“SunFed really cares about its people. We reinvest our resources into providing safe and healthy living conditions,” Eduardo imparts to me. “With the increase in the minimum wage and the exchange in the dollar being weak right now, we take an important role to ensure our people are well taken care of.”
As operations like SunFed continue to provide, both in produce in well-being, ANUK will bring you the latest, so stay tuned.
