Bob Von Rohr, director of customer relations for Sunny Valley International headquartered in Glassboro, NJ, told The Produce News that this year’s blueberry and peach crops are trending more towards a normal start.

“We had an early start with New Jersey’s crops last year,” said Von Rohr. “This year we’ll be moving foward on a normal time schedule. Blueberries will start by mid-June, and peaches will start the beginning of July.”

The past winter weather has been perfect for both crops. Von Rohr said there were plenty of dormant hours and moisture during the growing season.

“The crops are well enough along now for us to know that there was no frost injury,” he said. “We are expecting this season to have a full crop with excellent quality. We had a mild winter with good moisture, which has the season starting during a normal time frame. We’ve had a favorable spring with good bloom. Now that we’re well into May, we are not anticipating any frost issues.”

“The early bloom thinning on peaches went very well,” he continued. “Next week the final thinning will take place, which will get the crop size to precisely what growers want. There’s a real science and an art to this process.”

Sunny, warm days are helping Sunny Valley’s white and yellow peaches and nectarines to size up nicely and to bring them to the peak of sweetness.

“All of our New Jersey peaches are packed under the ‘Jersey Fruit’ and ‘Just Picked’ labels,” Von Rohr noted.

Among the factors contributing to the increase in demand for New Jersey peaches are the locally grown movement, transportation costs to bring peaches in from other areas and sustainability awareness.

Von Rohr said that the demand for New Jersey peaches has been very strong and growing over the last several years. All of the company’s “Jersey Fruit” products and its organic line of peaches, which carry the “Little Buck” label, are hand-picked to ensure that only the largest and most mature are picked at the optimal time.

“Our New Jersey blueberries are also hand-picked,” said Von Rohr. “Our growers are proud of the Duke and Bluecrop variety blueberries.”

Sunny Valley is packing conventional New Jersey blueberries in the one-pint, 18-ounce clamshells and two-pound clamshells.”

“Our organic blueberries are packed in 12, half-pint clamshells and one-pint clamshells,” said Von Rohr. “We are seeing a growing trend toward more one-pint packs as organic production increases, which it is doing around the world, as well as in New Jersey. Linier pricing is leveling off over time, although there is still a premium on organics. Blueberry yield is much lower on organics because of the insect pressure, which reduces the size of the crop.

The company is projecting about 85,000 half-pint equivalents on organic New Jersey blueberries this year, and 750,000 12-pint equivalents on conventional product.

New Jersey had very good weather during the blueberry pollination period this year. The bees worked as well as hoped, and that means good sizing on the fruit.

“Sunny Valley International’s growers are committed to a high level of PrimusLabs food-safety certification, as well as a R2 code on all their blueberries to ensure traceability,” said Von Rohr. “Our growers also participate in an IPS [Integrated Pest Solutions] program to ensure effective pest control and responsible use of pesticides, which is part of our sustainability program.”

Sunny Valley is working toward being a year-round supplier of blueberries. It imports from Chile and Argentina during the fall and winter. Chile runs from late fall into spring, and Argentina runs in the fall and early winter. It currently has only a small gap between programs.

“Our goal is to have blueberries available year-round, and to have domestic peaches from mid-May to the end of September,” said Von Rohr.