Since the growing and picking cycle of greenhouse pepper clusters can vary, they can be flush one week and limited the next. “It creates some interesting marketing opportunities,” said Jim Veri of Exeter Produce. “You have to time when retailers promote them based on when the bulk of the set is coming off.” He noted that Ontario as a whole should be a good source of supply for green, yellow and orange peppers this season with prices that are average.
Brothers, Mike (left) & Jim Veri (right) on their fourth generation family farm.
Red peppers are still the mainstay for consumers but he feels that yellow and orange will continue to gain in popularity. Veri experimented with other varieties such as chocolate, white and purple, however they weren’t embraced by their customer base. “It took a while for the orange to catch one. I do see both the yellow and orange are in bigger demand,” he said. “One of the other things that leads to the popularity of those is foodservice; chefs are more creative. They want more colour on the plate. I think foodservice is also embracing more produce because it’s cheaper than protein.”
The keeping quality of what’s produced in the greenhouse is also a positive for the grower and the consumer. “It’s fresh and it’s quick to market,” said Veri. “We pick our crop at about 95% colour so that way it never over ripens and the consumer is guaranteed maximum freshness. The consumer is getting the best possible outcome.” An additional contributing factor could be the varieties of seeds used. Seed companies as a whole “keep coming up with better and better varieties that have great visual characteristics to them and taste characteristics. I think that’s a real enhancement in the industry. I think those factors are contributing to the increased demand.
Going forward there is continued positivity for opportunities in greenhouse. “There seems to be new commodities coming on and I think that’s good for greenhouse growers in general. There seems to be continued growth within the sector.” The biggest hurdle he and other greenhouse growers feels they will face is Ontario’s cap and trade tax. “It’s quite onerous,” he said.
For more information:
Jim Veri
Exeter Produce & Storage Ltd.
Ph: (519) 235-0141