“Things are tightening up a bit with strawberries. We’re past our peak here and we’re starting to see the berries coming in smaller in size now,” says Barry Fisher of M&B Produce Inc. of Manhattan Beach, Ca. “The heat waves that we had this summer in California are showing their effects on the berries compared to how they were last year at this time.”
That said, M&B is balancing its demand from various markets. “In certain export markets such as Southeast Asia, it’s getting weak because you’ve got a lot of competition coming from Australia for strawberries right now,” says Fisher. “Australia is always a contender this time of year. They’re just getting into the bulk of their season and they do a very good job. And also their proximity to Southeast Asia, it’s in their backyard. We have some long flights to get to those markets.”
Higher prices?
That said, pricing looks to be strengthening up as the strawberry season moves through August. “I feel like the prices this year are a bit stronger than they were last year at this time,” says Fisher. “The company I work with has been stepping up their pricing each week. Not huge jumps but strengthening demand for their fruit.”
Looking ahead, Fisher believes pricing will likely continue to increase. “I’ve been told to expect a price jump at the end of this month,” he says. “On the exports, it’ll be more of a challenge. I think that comes from just being later in the season. The condition of the berries isn’t as strong as they were earlier so there’s less supply of an export berry for transit. And that weather, the heat, I think that also affected the pricing structure increase because if you have lower-quality fruit, growers are being more stringent with what’s being put in boxes and with that, they have less volume.”
For more information:
Barry Fisher
M&B Produce Inc.
Tel: +1-310 908-1388
barry@mbproduce.net