Archive For The “Trucking Reports” Category
Visalia, CA — Further strengthening its supply in California, Oppy, is introducing new acreage under the Ocean Spray label.
Oppy kicks off the San Joaquin Valley season from ranches in Wasco, through McFarland, Pixley, Farmersville and Strathmore. Together, these five regions are expected to produce 20% more than Oppy harvested in 2022 as more acreage comes online.
“We are well-poised to meet the increasing demand for high-quality grapes with both domestic and internationally grown fruit,” said Senior Vice President of Categories and Marketing James Milne. “As the California industry compresses, Oppy ranches continue to grow alongside consumption. We’ve prepared for this transition, bringing Piers Hanbury onto our team last year.”
Building T&G’s export grape category in California a decade ago, Hanbury eventually oversaw its global grape program, leading supply to and from the U.S. including Peru, Chile, Australia, South Africa, Asia and Europe. Hanbury’s expertise and strategic approach encompassed new variety licensing deals and breeding programs.
“We look towards a fantastic five-month season in California as we ensure stable year-round supply with our transition to Peru, Brazil, Chile, South Africa and Mexico,” said Hanbury.
About Oppy
Oppy, based in Vancouver, BC has been growing, marketing and distributing fresh produce from around the globe for 165 years. With over 50 million boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables grown on every continent moving through its supply chain annually, Oppy offers items from avocados and berries to apples and oranges year-round, alongside innovative seasonal specialties. Over the years, Oppy has introduced North Americans to a number of items across its diverse produce range, including Granny Smith, JAZZ and Envy apples, as well as green and gold kiwifruit.
Chilean mandarins are now available from Bee Sweet Citrus of Fowler, CA.
As California’s citrus domestic season is winding down, the marketer is shifting focus to the company’s summer citrus line, according to a news release.
“Off-shore mandarins have arrived at Bee Sweet Citrus, signaling the start of our summer import program,” Joe Berberian, Bee Sweet citrus sales representative, said. “Over the next few weeks, we will also receive Chilean lemons and navel oranges to help our customers meet year-round demand for citrus.”
Bee Sweet Citrus is currently harvesting domestic star ruby grapefruit, lemons, valencia oranges and royal red oranges, the release said.
Chilean mandarins are also available; Chilean lemons are expected to arrive by the first of July, and navel oranges the second week of July, according to the release.
“All imported product is brought to our main facility where it undergoes a thorough quality inspection before it’s shipped out to customers,” Berberian said in the release. “Our customers also have the option to repack any offshore product to meet specific pack styles throughout the program.”
Mountain View Fruit Sales will be highlighting three varieties for the upcoming season of its Estate Vineyards table grape program.
The Reedley, Calif.-based company introduced its premium table grape program last summer under the Estate Vineyards label, led by Grape Division Director George Matoian.
“We will have our first candy variety with Candy Snaps, available in our Estate Vineyards brand,” Matoian said in a news release. “And we are one of [only a] few growers in California to have the newly released USDA black seedless grape variety, Solbrio, in production. We will also offer the highly coveted, concord-flavored Kyoho black seeded grape this season.”
Packs will be available in traditional corrugated cartons, new plastic corrugated cartons, and Styrofoam, the release said.
Matoian said Mountain View is “catching up a little from last year’s start dates” as the 2023 season nears.
“We are approximately eight to nine days behind last year’s crop. On most varieties we are at the leaf removal and bunch thinning stages,” he said. “The good news is this year’s bunches are some of the largest I have seen in many years and the cells of the grape berry are rapidly dividing to give us the maximum berry size we require.”
“Mountain View will have increased volume this season on both premium and proprietary grape varieties,” owner Mike Thurlow said in the release. “We are expecting fantastic quality again this year, and we believe 2023 will be a vintage grape season.”
ABOUT MOUNTAIN VIEW FRUIT SALES
- Established in 1994 with a vision focused on growing flavorful peaches, plums and nectarines on family farms packed under the brands Summeripe, Summertime and Summersweet.
- In 2017, Mountain View expanded its portfolio to include premium citrus packed under the brands Rascals, Brilliant and Aces.
- In 2022, Mountain View expanded its portfolio to include a premium grape program under the brand Estate Vineyards.
The Eastern Shore, also referred to as Delmarva, encompasses several counties in Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. It is separated from the mainland to the west by the Chesapeake Bay, and washed by the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean on the east.
Eastern Shore produce shipments provides retailers and foodservice companies, particularly along the Eastern Seaboard, with a steady supply potatoes, vegetables and other fresh fruits and vegetables from spring to fall. This year, loadings started in early June and will continue through September.
At Dublin Farms of Horntown, VA, fresh potato shipments are just getting underway, with volume expected to be similar to the 2022 season.
Virginia potatoes provide a niche in filling the gap after Florida’s fresh crop potatoes are dug in the spring and before the more northern production areas start producing in late summer early fall. Dublin will be shipping fresh potatoes to customers stretching from Florida to Canada until late in the summer.
Cambridge Farms is headquarted in South Easton, MA, but has long partnered with potato growers from the Southeast to the Northeast, including along the Eastern Shore. Good volume is expected from North Carolina and Virginia.
Cambridge Farms started Virginia potato shipments in mid-June with, and reds, white and yellows.
Papen Farms in Dover, DE, produces sweet corn, green beans and cabbage. The company is expecting those three crops to produce on a fairly normal schedule this season, with loadings from early June through its fall crop of green beans. Sweet corn is the company’s top volume commodity and it is on schedule for its post-Fourth of July harvest, which will last about two months.
Oxnard, CA– Westfalia Fruit, the market leader in growing, ripening, handling, and distributing quality avocados, announces the start of its Peruvian avocado season with supply available now through mid-September.
Westfalia began exporting Peruvian avocados in 2016 and is now the 2nd largest exporter, with a presence in 15 regions across the country and a growing area spanning over 4,600 hectares. Westfalia operates 4 avocado nurseries in Peru in addition to a brand-new state-of-the-art packinghouse in Canete, located in southern Lima.
“We operate 4 experimental and teaching orchards located in strategic areas across Peru,” said David Fausset, Business Development Director at Westfalia Fruit. “These orchards empower our growers to optimize crop management and teach sustainable production methodologies that support our social and sustainable responsibilities.”
Established over 70 years ago, Westfalia markets prime-quality, ready-to-eat avocados across the globe through its vertically integrated supply chain as well as its technical and commercial expertise. Its global supply chain and distribution network allow Peruvian avocados to ship to all major North American ports of entry.
About Westfalia Fruit Group
Established over 70 years ago, Westfalia Fruit Group is a global, vertically integrated company and market leader in growing, ripening, processing, shipping and distributing the product.
British Columbia cherry shipments will be getting underway by the end of June.
Global Fruit of Creston, British Columbia reports the peak of the season will occur from mid-July until mid-August.
The company will continue picking cherries into early September.
Global Fruit’s cherry volume accounts for over 30% of British Columbia cherry shipments, with 30 cherry growers in the group covering over 2,000 acres.
Growing north of Washington state, British Columbia cherries ripen later than in Washington. British Columbia cherries take a bit longer from blossom to harvest, and with cooler nights the fruit is generally bigger, firmer and sweeter.
The 2023 British Columbia cherry crop is in good shape overall, though yields will be variable this season depending on location and winter cold damage.
Global Fruit also specializes in late-season blush cherries, grown on its own farms, including rainier, Stardust and other later-ripening blush varieties.
Starting in late June and continuing through mid-September, Star Produce will offer British Columbia cherries to retailers across North America and in several overseas markets, company officials say.
Star Produce of Saskatoon, Saskatchewn has Just Picked branded cherries starting in the south Okanagan Valley in late June and continuing into the central valley for July through mid-September.
A 104% increase in total avocado pounds shipped to the U.S. to date during the 2022-2023 season has been reported by The Colombia Avocado Board (CAB).
This data is provided by the Hass Avocado Board which tracks shipments and sales of Hass avocados from all growing regions.
During the past two years avocado production and orchard development in Colombia has increased rapidly. In 2021, there were 150 orchards producing just under 6.5 million pounds of avocados. Today, there are 488 orchards across eight states, and production is soaring with nearly 25 million pounds of avocados being produced in the 2023 season so far, a 325% increase since 2021.
The expansion of certified acreage is a major contributor to the increase in volumes and the growth of the industry in general.
CAB reported excitement over the growth of avocado exports the last two years and looks forward to see where volume stands in the years to come.
The ability of Columbia to ship directly to the U.S., one of the of the strongest avocado consumption markets in the world, is a great asset to Colombia Avocados suppliers, and provides American consumers with more supply choices to meet their growing demand.
Delano, California — Four Star Fruit, a leading grower of organic and conventional table grapes, recently acquired 1,100 acres of table grape vineyards and two modern distribution facilities near Bakersfield, California from Grapeman Farms. The acquisition is an exciting opportunity for Four Star Fruit to expand its operations and meet the growing demand for table grapes across the US and abroad.
Family-owned and operated by the Campbell family for three generations, Four Star Fruit is committed to sustainable farming and innovation, offering a wide range of grape varieties, including the trademark Pristine®. The additional boxes of grapes from these vineyards will further bolster Four Star Fruit’s supply of grapes to major retail chains in the United States, ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality grapes to consumers. The two cold storage facilities will provide additional logistical support with Four Star Fruit’s new 52-week sales program.
Jack Campbell, President of Four Star Fruit, expressed optimism about the acquisition and said, “We are committed to delivering high-quality and diverse grape varieties to our retail partners and consumers through our planned growth, which includes this exciting acquisition as one of many steps in expanding our domestic and international fruit procurement.”
Founded in 1974, Grapeman Farms has had a stellar reputation as a grower and shipper representing some of the industry’s most well-known varieties. The company has provided table grapes to the largest retailers for the past 49 years. The acquisition is a perfect fit for Four Star Fruit’s table grape operation, and the Campbell family looks forward to expanding their capacity to satisfy the growing consumer demand at the store level.
Alongside the announcement, Four Star Fruit has gained exclusive rights to the highly sought-after sweet late-season red Holiday® Seedless grape variety. This attainment will allow the company to continue working on its varietal expansion with the use of the Holiday® Seedless grape DNA.
For more information about Four Star Fruit and Grapeman Farms, please visit their respective websites at www.fourstarfruit.com and www.grapeman.com
About Four Star Fruit, Inc.
Four Star Fruit has been in table grape production as a grower-shipper since 1987. The company is family-owned and operated for three generations by the Campbell family. Four Star produces remarkable premium conventional and organic grapes, including the trademarked Pristine® variety. Their fields are located throughout the San Joaquin and Coachella Valleys and internationally in Peru, Chile, and Mexico. Their top-of-the-line facility allows for innovation and flexibility in packaging. Four Star farms thousands of acres of grapes annually while carefully ensuring each bunch’s quality from planting to harvest, packing to shipping.
WENATCHEE, Wash. – Promising blooms and strong cell division action means Stemilt’s Washington apricot crop will bring big fruit this year. Apricots shipments have just started and will continue through July with peak volume starting July 4th onwards. Stemilt senior sales manager, Brian Evans, anticipates quality and size will increase during this year’s apricot season.
“We’ll have good volume and sizes of Artisan Organics™ apricots this year which means now is the perfect time to prepare for upcoming promotion windows,” says Evans. “We’re seeing signs of strong cell division post bloom which shows improved quality and size from the previous crop.”
Great flavors are made when cool nights and long, hot days give apricots the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. The Douglas family grows all Stemilt’s apricots, peaches and nectarines 100% organically in Pasco, WA in the Columbia Basin. The natural rain shadow in this area makes an optimal location for growing stone fruit.
“With larger size fruit on the way, catch weight bags are going to be your best friend for promoting apricots,” says Evans. “July 4 will be a good time to first bring attention to apricots leading into another key promotion window in the second and third weeks of July. We encourage retailers to carry organic apricots to fill organic space and offer a value opportunity that shoppers will look for during produce inflation.”
Apricots continue to be a popular fruit choice for children who enjoy sweet mellow flavors. According to The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023, younger consumers are more likely to purchase fresh apricots. The report shows 19% of families with 2 kids are most likely to buy them. 14% of Consumers aged 30-39 said they purchased apricots, compared with 6% for those consumers aged 60 and older.
“We can help bring new shoppers to the organic category with apricots by picking fruit that’s going to delight with quality flavors and sizes,” says Evans. “Promoting organics with a seasonal fruit like apricots is a great way to see growth in the category and we’re excited to help retailers see success this summer with Artisan Organics™ branded fruit.”
About Stemilt
Stemilt is a family-owned grower, packer, and shipper of tree fruit. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt is a leader in sweet cherries and organic tree fruits, and a key supplier of apples and pears.
With more than 8,000 tons shipped to North America through May, the Chilean Kiwifruit season is underway. Peak U.S. imports are just kicking off and will continue through August.
While the Chilean Kiwifruit Committee is projecting an overall decrease in volume of 14 percent compared with last season, fruit quality is expected to be superior! Reports Carlos Cruzat, President of the Committee, “Fruit this year is between one and one and a half sizes larger, and dry matter (which plays a key role in the consumer’s eating experience) is greater than previous seasons.” This is the result of a warm summer with healthy water supply.
Chile shipped 134,992 tons of kiwifruit across the globe in 2022, with the U.S., Netherlands, and Brazil its top three markets. India has also grown substantially over the past few years, becoming the fourth largest market for the Chilean kiwifruit industry in 2022.
This season, Chile expects to export a total of 116,093 tons. The U.S. received 20,221 tons in 2022, with similar volumes projected this season, but increases are on the horizon. With new orchards coming into production over the next few years, Chile anticipates volume to grow by more than 80% by 2030.
In previous years, Chile had shipped around 35-40 percent of total kiwifruit volume through May, but this year, that figure has grown to 52 percent. With that in mind, the Committee is focusing on the June through August timeframe for promotions.