FRESNO, CA - In many ways, squash is a chameleon. It can be salty, sweet, savory, or almost anything in between depending on how you season it. That is what makes squash a fantastic category to merchandise during the holidays, as consumers can use the vegetable in just about any recipe they can imagine. Luckily, Baloian Farms offers a plethora of squash varieties to display across your produce aisles this season.
“We are currently forecasting squash supplies to be stable through the holidays,” Jeremy Lane, Sales Manager, says. “The market is aggressively priced, and quality is at a premium. Squash promotions are definitely advisable for retailers.”
With four western distribution facilities that are strategically located throughout California and Arizona, as well as growing regions spanning the Golden State and Baja and Mainland Mexico, Baloian is uniquely positioned to provide its buy-side partners with year-round squash and other core fresh vegetables. The grower also prides itself on experiences tailored to each of its customers in order to help them achieve their sales goals.
So far, Baloian’s squash season is off to a strong start, touting quality across the board—good news for retailers looking to display the company’s squash throughout the holidays.
“Since the beginning of the season, we have enjoyed excellent quality. Model growing conditions existed throughout planting, cultivation, and now through harvest,” continues Jeremy. “Yields will likely come close to projected goals, and post-harvest handling by operations has been fantastic as usual. Our first-rate finished packs are very tough to compete with as they offer very consistent size, shape, and color.”
Ensuring that its squash yields remain competitive, the supplier has diversified its growing districts this season. As Jeremy explains, if one district experiences less-than-optimal conditions for production, Baloian has other districts in production to compensate and keep supplies strong for its partners.
“We are happy that our strategy to bridge one district with another has been successful and agreeable with Mother Nature,” remarks Jeremy. “That way we can continue to keep our customers supplied with product and without any interruptions in service as the season marches on.”
Now, Baloian is wrapping up harvest on its fall plantings of soft squash including zucchini, yellow, and grey varieties, in central Sonora, Mexico, and just started harvesting its winter plantings in Southern Sonora. The grower’s hard squash program featuring Acorn, Butternut, and Spaghetti squash is also well underway in central Sonora and will transition to Sinaloa later in the season.
Ready to squash your winter produce sales goals (pun absolutely intended)? Look no further than Baloian Farms and its high-quality portfolio of year-round categories.
