As with many commodities, the California kiwifruit season is running early this year. But Chris Kragie, deciduous fruit manager at Western Fresh Marketing in Madera, CA, is of the opinion that some shippers are pushing to get the fruit off the vines and in the market before it is really ready.

“We are still running Chilean product” and will continue to do so through the month of September, Kragie told The Produce News Sept. 3. “We will start packing California [kiwifruit] the last week of September or the first week of October, depending on sugars. We are waiting for proper sugars that will insure a great tasting fruit.”

Not everyone has that kind of patience, it seems. “We hear some guys that are going to start packing kiwifruit as early as next week (the week of Sept. 8), which will be the earliest anyone has ever picked kiwifruit out of California,” he said.

Chris Kragie, deciduous fruit manager at Western Fresh Marketing in Madera, CA.The product is in short supply, demand is strong, the money is good, and “greed is getting the best of them,” Kragie said. “I think that is a disaster for our commodity. Kiwifruit already has somewhat of a bad name” because of fruit on the market that hasn’t been given time to develop its full flavor. “When you start pushing packing of kiwis because the money is so good, you are going to push consumers away for guys that are waiting for the proper sugars to insure taste.”

Too many times “as marketers, packers and shippers, we start trying to chase the money first and worry about a the consequences on the consumer demand later. Everybody is worried about today instead of what the future is going to bring if the commodity is pushed out the door based on taste. Consumers are not going to repeat if the first fruit of the season they get is not of good taste,” he said.

“We at Western Fresh believe in orderly marketing,” Kragie continued. “I am a big pusher for United States-grown fruit. But I think if you have fruit right now that is in good taste and good demand and of good quality,” regardless of country of origin, when the domestic fruit is not quite there, “I think we should continue to push that [imported] product first, because it ensures that our commodity as a whole is increasing in demand. I think if the consumer gets a good tasting fruit, no matter what country it is from, it is only going to better the commodity.”

In California, Western Fresh has fruit grown over a wide area of the state, from Bakersfield on the south almost to Redding on the north, Kragie said. This year’s crop “looks to be about a normal size crop” with fruit sizing mainly in the 36-33 range. “We will have enough fruit to supply all of our programs and demands for all sizes.”

Starting mid-November, Western Fresh will also be bringing Italian kiwifruit to the East Coast to offset the cost of freight from the West Coast to the East Coast, he said. “That crop is looking to be about an average crop,” with sizing also tending towards 36s to 33s.

The company began bringing in Chilean kiwifruit in March this year and expects to continue with Chilean product into October which is “the normal season” for Chile, he said.

There is a shortage of kiwifruit worldwide, and the market “has been so strong for so long” that there is really no need to “rush to jump into” the market with California fruit “just to chase the money,” Kragie said. “I think the money will be there the whole season as long as fruit is sold in an orderly market.” But “the market is not going to stay stable and firm if we do not sell based on an orderly marketing deal.”

Western Fresh is in the kiwifruit business 365 days a year, Kragie said.

The company uses either the “Western Fresh Marketing” label or the “Krazie Kiwi” label for both imported and domestic fruit.