PRO*ACT Crop Update: Valentine’s demand building for berries
By
Joey Piedimonte
PRO*ACT Crop Update: Valentine’s demand building for berries
With Valentine’s Day approaching, berry demand is starting to build across both retail and foodservice, and supply is tightening in a few key areas. This is shaping up to be a year where early planning will make a real difference.
Florida strawberries are currently the main challenge. Overnight temperatures have dipped into the mid-30s in several growing regions, forcing growers to protect fields with irrigation. Harvests were canceled earlier this week, and production will be slow to recover. As a result, demand is expected to exceed supply for the next seven to 10 days, keeping markets firm through the end of January.
Out west, Oxnard and Santa Maria are both seeing gradual improvements, with yields increasing day by day. Quality has been good overall, though some lots are showing light softness or green shoulders. Sizes are running medium to medium-large, which fits well with Valentine’s promotions. Even so, California alone cannot fully offset reduced volumes from Florida.
Crossings into south Texas remain lighter than normal but are slowly increasing. Quality continues to improve as the season progresses, though sizing is still on the smaller side. Mexico is helping fill gaps left by Florida and California, but availability remains tight enough that open market fruit will be limited as we move closer to the holiday.
Baja is nearing the point where more meaningful volumes will begin crossing, which should help stabilize supply into early February. Florida is also expected to rebound as temperatures moderate, setting up a stronger production window after the holiday.
Outside of strawberries, blueberries are settling into a more balanced position as Chilean fruit replaces Peru, with central Mexico volumes slowly increasing. Blackberries remain steady out of Mexico and Baja with moderate demand, while raspberries are somewhat tighter due to cooler temperatures limiting production.
The message heading into Valentine’s Day is straightforward: demand is coming on quickly and supplies are improving, but nothing is loose. Pre-booking early and staying flexible on origin will be key to maintaining coverage during one of the strongest berry pulls of the year.
Joey Piedimonte, sourcing manager at PRO*ACT LLC, leverages over a decade of produce industry experience to lead teams, manage key vendor relationships and simplify complex challenges. He is dedicated to growth, strong partnerships and supporting the agricultural community.