A bountiful summer of California strawberries is ahead for California Giant Berry Farms, as the company forecasts promotable volumes of its cornerstone product, according to a release.
The berry purveyor’s high yields and forecast for excellent quality fruit come following a later-than-average start for some of its growing regions, but despite this, the company says it is on track to deliver peak promotable volumes of California strawberries.
“2023 was a challenging year for some of our growing regions,” Andy Rice, vice president of field operations and product supply at California Giant Berry Farms, said in the release. “Ultimately, weather impacted crops early on — from above average amounts of rain, flooding or uncharacteristically cold weather. Like most California production, our production curve was shifted, and peak promotable volumes are arriving, albeit later than average.”
Out of the Santa Maria region, California Giant is reporting sizeable, high-quality fruit. The region is in its peak volume window, which is forecasted to maintain through mid-June. The Watsonville and Salinas growing regions — despite initial weather challenges — are seeing week-over-week increase in volumes, with estimates projecting substantial harvested volumes beginning mid-June and spanning to early-August, the company said.
Due to the area’s late start, the company is forecasting fruit will be available late into summer. The region's ranches are reporting excellent quality and flavor, alongside sizable fruit.
California Giant’s peak promotable volumes come at a time when consumers are enjoying berries more than ever, the company said, pointing to recent USDA data that indicates gains in retail per capita consumption for berries have been strong compared with many other fresh fruits. Strawberries consumption specifically has grown from 4.6 pounds in 2011 to 6.7 pounds in 2021, an overall gain of 45%.
To support the expected influx of strawberries, California Giant employs Instacart advertising and Ibotta consumer promotions to drive purchase intent for fresh berries, the release said. In correlation, the brand will launch consumer engagement sweepstakes to further drive brand awareness and demand.
The Watsonville, Calif.-based California Giant Berry Farms says it provides a year-round supply of sustainably grown fresh berries.