OXNARD, CA - With Fall winding down and Winter fast on its heels, Well•Pict is looking to turn heads with especially-flavorful proprietary varieties of its fruit this season. I checked in with Dan Crowley, the company’s VP of Sales and Marketing, to see how the season is shaping up.
“At this time in the season, the Fall crop is being harvested in Oxnard. These strawberries were planted this Summer, and will be harvested until the end of December,” says Dan. “People say ‘what are you, crazy?’ when we tell them strawberries are growing now to harvest in December, in California. But, our trading partners have come to expect high quality strawberries from us 12 months of the year. Because production during this time of the year is slower, the fruit develops an extraordinary flavor profile and sugar content.”
A veritable font of strawberry-knowledge, Dan tells me that the quality of the harvest is excellent—both in terms of size and flavor. Though the price of strawberries currently may be high because of scarcity, he assures me that the exceptional quality of Well•Pict’s fruit will make this winter’s harvest a hot item with consumers.
“Because these strawberries develop during shorter, colder days, the flower-to-fruit cycle is much longer,” explains Dan. “The fruit that will be harvested this December was put in the ground at the beginning of Summer and this extended maturation process really pays dividends in terms of brix and overall quality.”
As we enter Winter proper, Well•Pict will begin to transition to more production in Florida.
“We expect the strawberry market to be extremely strong through December,” Dan says, “after which time, production from Florida will begin to absorb a greater portion of our market share, and prices will begin to stabilize as we get further into 2017. Production has already begun in the Wimauma, Florida growing regions, so as the harvest finishes in Oxnard, we can transition to meet the demands of the season.”
For more updates on the state of the market, check back in with AndNowUKnow.
