Market Minute: Colored pepper volume perfect for promoting

Ever wonder where Bell peppers originated — and how did all those colored peppers emerge? What are the most popular colored Bell peppers?

Mankind has been eating peppers since around 7,500 B.C. The Bell peppers originated from Central and South America. They were cultivated for over 9,000 years and distributed throughout the world in the 1400s. In the early 1980s, farmers in the Netherlands started growing and shipping a variety of color peppers to the U.S. market.

Plant breeders used modern techniques to develop new colorful varieties of Bell peppers. Other than the common green Bell peppers, there are red, orange, yellow, purple, chocolate, lavender, white, gold, brown and black peppers.

It takes less time for green peppers to be ripe for harvesting; it requires a longer time for colored peppers to mature and a lot more care is needed by the growers. This is the main reason that colored peppers have a premium price. The most popular colored Bell peppers besides green are red, yellow and orange.

The green, red and yellow Bell pepper supplies are good. Mexico demand on green is moderate on a steady market. Florida shows a light demand and a steady market. Check with your suppliers on the orange-colored peppers for current availability.

Merchandising all varieties of peppers in a large display area will easily draw shoppers. The bright colorful blended peppers quickly boost sales due to their popularity.

Remember to contact your suppliers for all pepper varieties and set your display with a strong focus toward volume sales using ad promotions.

Ron Pelger is a produce industry adviser and industry writer. He can be contacted at 775/843-2394 or by e-mail at [email protected].