Mexican Caborca asparagus saw a slightly delayed start to its season. "Things were a little later than expected this year because of warmer days in December, and now cold temperatures in these last few weeks," says Katiana Valdes, marketing director for Crystal Valley Foods in Miami, Florida.
© Crystal Valley Foods
Most asparagus to the U.S. market right now is coming from the Caborca region and the weather has also impacted volume. Supply has been light due to those unseasonably cold temperatures with less fields in production and in all, the industry expects supply to be down 30 percent versus last year. Larger sizes are limited but the quality on asparagus is good.
"The supply will continue to increase out of Mexico with steady volume in March but we might not see the big peak we normally do out of Caborca," says Valdes.
New organic line and look
Meanwhile, the company is now offering a year-round organic asparagus program and it has also refreshed and redesigned its asparagus packing and tags. "It is essentially an evolution of our previous packaging "look" but bolder, more modern, and designed to show off the product and optimize the brand on the shelf," she adds.
© Crystal Valley Foods
In addition to this, the company also offers white asparagus most of the year out of Peru, albeit with a small gap in supply in the summertime. While the European market tends to prefer white asparagus to green, in the U.S., white asparagus is primarily destined for the upscale foodservice market, with a much smaller percentage going to the retail sector. "However there are opportunities in the U.S. for retail to educate consumers on this delicious item. The U.S. retail customer is lacking awareness of the product, with its distinct preparation requirements–it should be peeled for example," she says.
As for demand, it is currently steady. "Typically, asparagus demand during the Easter holiday is high and we expect demand to be strong this year too," says Valdes.
For more information:
Katiana Valdes
Crystal Valley Foods
Tel: +1 (786) 565-4575
www.crystalvalleyfoods.com
