The 2014 California strawberry season is off to a strong start, according to Louis Ivanovich, vice president of West Lake Fresh, a Watsonville, CA-based brokerage specializing in strawberries year-round.

“So far the plants look good,” Ivanovich told The Produce News Jan. 23. “There is a substantial amount of fruit presenting itself to come off.” He expects that “once it gets going to the races, there will be very good production on the front side, because there has been no disruption in the formation” of the berries in the Oxnard district “from blossom to green fruit. We haven’t had any freeze issues to speak of. We haven’t had any rain issues to speak of.”

Sam Gabriel, Caleb Randall, Sandra Malatesa and Louis Ivanovich of West Lake Fresh. (Photo courtesy of West Lake Fresh)There have been some Santa Ana winds which can result in misshapen berries with some varieties, but most the strawberry varieties currently being grown in Southern California “tend to be so conical” that any effect from the winds “is not really exaggerated,” he said.

The principal varieties being grown in the south, in addition to “a couple of proprietary varieties,” are Ventana, San Andreas and “some Benicia,” Ivanovich said. “We are pretty well-pleased with the way all of them are coming through right now.”

West Lake Fresh handles strawberries from Florida, central Mexico and Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula as well as out of California from the southern end of the state “all the way up through the Watsonville deal,” Ivanovich said. “We have people on the ground” in all areas “checking the product at the farms and the coolers, helping us make the appropriate buying decisions for our customer base.”

In Southern California currently, “the plants are so loaded with fruit” that the berries are medium to medium-large in size. For stem packs, the berries are “more of a 16-count than the super-large 12-count some customers prefer. “People that insist upon a 12-count stem are going to have a little more difficulty obtaining that than in years past,” he said. “There will be ample supplies o f fruit. There is plenty of fruit hanging. It is just going to be a little more in the medium size category.”

The acreage trend in Southern California is down “with certain companies,” Ivanovich said. But “I don’t think it is going to be that big of a differential in volume” because there have not been any significant weather events to thin the crop. But what remains to be seen is whether in the light of unusually warm winter weather in the growing areas and the lack of rainfall, the plants will be “sprinters” or “long distance runners.”

On the demand side, “the one thing that has been very good is we have seen a great deal of interest” from all categories of buyers, Mr. Ivonovich said. Retail, foodservice and other customer categories have all shown an eagerness to “dive I nto the berry category early.” That is largely because they expect supplies to be more predictable during the winter and spring period than they have historically been, due to the fact that “there weren’t any interruptions” in the formation of the product. “They are pretty comfortable about going out and getting ahead of it and getting promotions in place,” he said.

“We have already seen some pretty aggressive ads,” he continued. “Once those pop,” others will want to “get in the game, and we are optimistic.”

Prices being offered to growers by processors continue to be strong this year, “from what I understand,” Ivanovich said. “That provides a floor for the grower” and is “a good sign for the health of the industry.”

At West Lake Fresh, everything is “status quo” from last year, he said. “We have experienced very little turnover, and we are just doing the same things we have been doing. We are excited to come out and take a shot at the new year.” He is hopeful the growers in Oxnard will have a good year this year because they need one after last year, which was “very damaging to them financially.”

It is good to see that “they are getting off to a strong start,” he said.

“We’re seeing a lot of interest early in heavy pack sizes,” Ivonivich said. “Even with prices being as strong as they have been, we have seen very good draw in two-pound clamshells. As soon as we get beyond Valentine’s Day, we anticipate seeing three-pond and four-pound clamshell interest pick up substantially as they get price points that make sense at retail.”