COACHELLA VALLEY, CA - Although romaine is slow to make its way back on shelves this holiday season, there are more fresh vegetables in varying chartreuse hues that are sure to satisfy retailers and consumers as we near the last round of this year’s holidays. For example, Grimmway Farms is currently excited about a whole slew of organic options, including its year-round leafy greens, bunching greens, brassicas, green onions, yellow onions, and carrots as well as its seasonal crops like spinach, celery, and red carrots coming out of the Coachella and Imperial Valleys.
I spoke with Bob Borda, Vice President of Organic Sales, to find out more about the time of the year when Grimmway Farms offers the widest variety of its product portfolio to the masses.
“Mild weather has contributed to outstanding quality and availability through the holiday season, and retailers and consumers have responded well to this coverage,” Bob told me. “We expect mostly normal conditions in our desert growing regions this season. However, with rains anticipated in early December and the potential for colder than normal temperatures increasing, availability for organic vegetables may be adversely affected in the coming weeks.”
Because the holidays are always a hopping time, Bob noted that overall demand for organic vegetables is robust. But it’s not just the holidays that are piquing consumer interest in fresh greens bearing Grimmway Farms’ labels.
“Adverse weather affecting local programs throughout the Midwest, Southeast, East Coast, and Canada has brought customers back to West Coast organic vegetable programs sooner than in years past,” Bob revealed. “This early return has strengthened demand through November. Overall, the markets continue to experience solid demand as the desert regions begin, and the transition to the desert will cause a temporary reduction in supply, which strengthens demand as well.”
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