With an early crop of figs and a hot market, Stellar Distributing Inc. in Madeira, CA, has taken advantage of a great marketing season as it kicked off its 2014 California fig season.

Sales Manager Kurt Cappelluti told The Produce News on May 1 that last year’s start date of May 8 was the earliest he had ever seen in more than 20 years in the deal. “And this year we beat that by two weeks. We shipped our first carton on April 23. Unbelievable,” he said, explaining that warm weather pushed the crop earlier than expected, and that will continue to be the case for figs for the foreseeable future. California has been noting that same timing phenomenon with other crops this spring as grapes and vegetables out of the desert were also two weeks early.

Stellar Distributing’s Tiger figs.Cappelluti said about 90 percent of California figs are produced in the Madeira area, north of Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley, which will begin shipping in the later stages of May. However, Stellar, and other shippers, also have fig trees in the Southern California desert growing district around Brawley, CA, which is the source of this early season fruit. He said the state has enjoyed very warm winter weather and that the early desert fig deal will be followed by an early start to the main deal in the Madeira region. “We will start in Madeira around May 20 and everyone will have figs by June 1,” he said, stating that the timing was more than two weeks ahead of last year.

Figs are an interesting and relatively unique crop as they first produce a breva (or breba) crop of figs on last year’s budwood at the early part of the season. As that crop is being picked, the main crop on new wood is sizing for the “main crop” production. This process repeats itself for almost all of the varieties so growers have an extended season. Between its two production areas, Cappelluti predicted that this year the firm will have figs from that April 23 start date through the end of January of 2015. That will create a nine-month season, which is about one month longer than usually is the case.

Speaking on May 1, he had already reaped the benefits of two weeks of a demand-exceeds-supply pricing structure as the new fruit hit the market. Salesman Brian Lapin said on May 1 the f.o.b. market was in the area of $35 to $45 for a tray, depending upon the size and configuration. For example, he said on that day a pack of 12 eight-ounce clamshells of figs were returning $45 to the shipper, while six 12-ounce clams were selling for $36. The company offers a variety of different packs and each has a different price.

As volume increases, the price should drop, but the Stellar representatives believe the market will hold through most of the month of May simply because there will be limited volume until much later in the month. Cappelluti said retailers can look for promotable volume by June 1.

Brown Turkey was the first variety to be shipped but as the season progresses the firm will also have Sierra, Black Mission, Calimyrna, Kadota and its newest variety, Tiger figs.

Stellar ships many pack styles for its figs to fit retailers’ needs. Clamshells have become the more popular retail pack, but Lapin said the firm also offers a variety of baskets, as well as full and half trays. In its lineup this year is a carton that contain 12 eight-ounce clamshells; another that contains six 12-ounce clams; and one that holds 12 one-pint baskets. Lapin said the company also offers cartons with figs in a sleeve and another that offers two different varieties in the same clamshell.