SALINAS, CA - The usually tumultuous skies of broccoli forecasting are looking steady for Church Brothers Farms, which is seeing a clear way to veg promotions as we head past the Super Bowl toward Valentine’s Day and Easter.
“The quality has been really nice, and our volume is very steady, we don’t see any issues in the upcoming weeks,” Lisa Dias, Commodity Manager, Broccoli, tells me. “Demand has also been steady; the market has come off with a bit more supply than demand, but that could change quickly if we have some colder temperatures in the desert or Northern Mexico.”
While that does not look to be the case, Lisa reminds me there is always the caveat of a switch in Mother Nature.
“Weather changes can slow down the fields, and the cold storms on the East Coast combined with continued impacts from COVID have seen demand go down in that region. But, for the most part, the overall pace and price of the market are aligning with our expectations for this point in the season,” Lisa shares.
Meaning the bellwether is pointed toward promising access for retail promotions, and Church Brothers has taken extra steps to ensure that remains the case.
“Our broccoli program is very geographically diversified, with crops in California’s Imperial Valley as well as Northern and Central Mexico, which helps us in the event we are short in one region. If so, we can pull from another to cover our regular business,” Lisa says.
And, with a strong value-added floret as well as the company’s well-known commodity program, this continues to be a one-stop-shop supplier with smooth skies on the visible horizon.
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