Florida's star fruit growers still feeling effects from Irma

Star fruit growers are still feeling the effects from Hurricane Irma, a year after the storm swept through South Florida. Trees are still recovering and as a result, supplies have been a little slower than usual. More recently, Tropical Storm Gordon passed through the region, leaving with it heavy rains. This latest storm has not, however, affected the crop.

"The star fruit season in South Florida started at the beginning of August and it has been a slower than usual start," noted Fred Elson of Elson's Exotics. "I have spoken with several growers and experts and there is a conclusion that the trees are still recovering from damage received by Hurricane Irma last year. Therefore, there is less fruit around this year. Over the past weekend, we received five to six inches of rain but apart from the fields getting wet, we don't expect any damage as this level of rainfall is pretty standard for South Florida at this time of year."

According to producers, the market on star fruit has been flat to greet the start of the season. Demand is also slow but is expected to rise now. Overall demand in the US has been steady, but Elson believes this can be improved by educating consumers and getting them more familiar with the fruit. 

"People who know star fruit will buy it but the majority of Americans are not very adventurous when it comes to trying new foods," he said. "They need to be shown it and given encouragement. One of the ways is though foodservice where chefs will use it to dress up salads as it is a very attractive looking fruit. There has even been an interest locally to make beer out of star fruit." 

"For the most part, star fruit production is confined to South Florida as it doesn't grow well anywhere north of here," he added. "But despite this and the fact that there are some imports to the West Coast and New York from Asia, most of the star fruit available in the US has been grown in South Florida."

Fred Elson has been growing star fruit for a long time and his company specializes in them. They ship over much of the US and are now in the process of getting approval to ship to Texas. Elson's Exotics ships star fruit primarily in wholesale packages.

"We've been growing star fruit for over 30 years and it is the only item we grow," Elson shared. "We can ship almost anywhere in the US and we have even sent star fruit to Alaska. Shortly we will be certified to ship fruit to Texas. We sell by the pallet, mainly to produce dealers who on-sell them to restaurants and retail stores. Our pack comprises of standard boxes in counts of 20/25/30 which can be partitioned."

For more information:

Fred Elson

Tel: +1 (954) 473-0831