With a couple of Florida growing seasons under its belt, Watsonville, CA-based Well-Pict Berries Inc. has settled into its program, will double its Florida strawberry production this year and has quadrupled the number of retailers it is working with from its operations in the Sunshine State.

To say that the great growing weather Florida strawberry farmers have enjoyed this year is “the exact opposite of last year is an understatement,” according to Jack Cain, Westlake Produce Co. eastern division vice president of sales and marketing. “After two years of freezing temperatures in December through January, to 10-degrees-above-average temperatures has affected availability and quality dramatically. We got our plants planted in a timely manner back in October and had some cooler weather to get them set in and putting blooms on.

With a name like California Giant, one might not think the Watsonville, CA-based berry grower would be heavily vested in Florida. But with operations expanding on the East Coast and 12-month demand for product, Cal Giant is now in its third season in the Sunshine State.

After two years of atypical weather, “it’s definitely starting like a more-normal season, which is a good thing,” said Director of Marketing Cindy Jewell. “So far, it’s starting off much smoother and much more typical, and that’s what our guys like to see.”

C & D Fruit & Vegetable Co. of Bradenton, FL, has high-quality Florida strawberries in abundance, and they will be a bargain for consumers this year, said Tom O’Brien, president of the company. The only thing in question is if the market will remain solid enough to sustain growers.

Mr. O’Brien is one of a growing number of Florida berry farmers who worry that the state and other growing regions are producing too much product.

In mid-December, Nelly Yunta, vice president of U.S. imports, customs brokerage and consulting for Customized Brokers, Crowley Maritime Corp.’s logistics group, told The Produce News that the company was clearing major volumes of blueberries and cherries.

“Demand from the U.S. fresh market for Chilean blueberries has been strong up to this point,” Julia Inestroza, marketing and merchandising manager for Gourmet Trading, headquartered in Los Angeles, told The Produce News in mid-December. “We are seeing a shift of more fruit going to the processed market which could impact the latter part of the season’s supply. Overall, however, we are looking forward to a strong Chilean season.”