After one week of harvesting Wonderful variety pomegranates, fresh packed arils are in such high request that Ruby Fresh is already shipping at capacity with three shifts operating seven days a week. They’ve geared up for the demand that will run from October through February. A plant expansion earlier this summer has helped allowed the company to double its capacity. “We saw pretty aggressive growth last season and we felt that it was worthwhile to double the plant,” said David Anthony of Ruby Fresh. “Last year we were having to turn business down because we couldn’t pack another box but now we can continue to invite new customers to give Ruby Fresh arils a try.” The plant handles everything from seed extraction to packaging into small ounce serving sizes. Fruit is harvested in Central Californian groves in Firebaugh and Mendota with some outside growers in Bakersfield and Stockton, California.
Anthony has seen two categories spike in interest. Their 4oz snack cup retail package is sold at grocery chains but has also transitioned into commissary type businesses: airport kiosks, clubs and hotels. “That’s new for us,” he said. Second is the increase in institutional sales: food service and, in particular, schools which buy the 2oz portion cup. “We now have two-dozen school districts around the USA as far as Atlanta and Washington DC,” Anthony said. An entire school district could include 30,000 – 40,000 students who will each day receive one 2oz snack cup at school. “We’re excited for the industry; it’s great to see a super food like pomegranates going to kids where they learn at a young age to eat healthy and learn about the nutritional benefits of a fresh fruit.”
Ruby Fresh also offers a full line of fresh pomegranates to retail in addition to the packaged arils. “It gives the customer the opportunity to learn about Ruby Fresh from either buying the whole fruit or the arils. We find them crossing over and (buying) both of them.” Customers are choosing the convenience of the arils but are still drawn to the whole fruit. “It’s beautiful fruit,” noted Anthony. “And there’s certainly an ornamental sentiment to it. There’s convenience in having 3 – 4 cups of arils already deseeded that you can pop in your lunch or the kids can grab them.” Sales currently seem equally divided for arils and whole fresh fruit, but he says as recently as three seasons ago demand for arils was 25% and 75% full pomegranates. “We’re starting to see an increase in arils. But what’s interesting is we haven’t seen a decrease in the volume of whole pomegranate. The aril category is growing.”
There’s good value in arils and customers seem to notice. Anthony says most arils, depending on 4oz or multipack, works out to about $4-5/lb. to the customer. “When you buy a whole pomegranate it’s pretty close in cost – most people would buy a large fruit and pay $2-$3 and that would give them about 6 – 8oz of arils. I think that’s what discriminating shoppers are starting to see.” The largest size (16/18) whole pomegranate are always in demand and can fetch from the high $20s to low $30s per carton for FOB loading.
Over the next few weeks there will be load volume supply of poms between now and Thanksgiving followed by one to two weeks of light sales, then load volume again two weeks before Christmas. “With arils we have a longer season,” said Anthony. “We have load volume of arils now to the first or second week of March and then we’ll transition from California into pomegranate arils from South America.”
For more information:
David Anthony
Ruby Fresh Pomegranates
Ph: (559) 933-0340