PORTERVILLE, CA - Spring is well on its way, with hungry consumers ready for their fresh fruits and veggies. As blueberry demand continues to rise, Homegrown Organic Farms’ Blueberry Category Director, Chad Hansen, took the time to give me an idea of what we could expect in the coming days.
“Currently we are about a week from harvest on our farms in the Central Valley. Colder nights and late spring storms have slowed things down a bit as far as getting started, but they’ve seen strong quality and field conditions after having a more traditional California winter with a fantastic amount of rain,” Chad tells me. Although there was a slight delay, the overall outlook is a strong one.
“The plants have reset to a fairly normal start while quality and volume look very strong,” Chad continues. “Things have strengthened coming off an extended transition gap from the offshore window and we’re seeing the early market window remain strong and stable. Demand is currently exceeding supply and we expect a strong program start and overall market outlook.”
He explained that not only has the market strengthened and continued to grow, but so has the HGO team.
“We’ve been enjoying such strong and consistent growth here at Homegrown,” he tells me enthusiastically. “We’ve had new, talented team members join us in practically every part of the business, specifically in sales, category specialty/support, and grower relations for blueberries. It has been amazing and crucial in helping us to continue to navigate and support the growing blueberry demand while continuing to fulfill our mission, vision, and core values of both exceeding the customer's’ expectations while providing the best return back to the grower.”
The team, resources, and capacity at Homegrown continue to grow, Chad assures me, with excitement for what’s on the company’s horizon.
AndNowUKnow will keep our eyes out as well for any growth in berries and beyond, so stay tuned.
