The supply of Little Gem lettuce is on the snug side right now. "This is because of a lot of extremely warm weather all season in the Yuma Desert growing region," says Dan Holt, vice president of sales for Hitchcock Farms "The crop has been ahead of schedule pretty much the entire season so that's presented some areas where different plantings of the crop have matured at the same time. It has presented some dips in supply as well."
That said, even with the extreme heat, some humidity and some rain that has been seen over the past few months in Yuma, the company has maintained a fairly consistent supply.
The company is also amidst its transition to the Salinas, California growing region and the two areas are overlapping in supply for about two weeks. "On most product, it's 10 to 14 days earlier in Salinas this year. The record warm weather in the desert has corresponded with warm weather in Monterey County," says Holt. "The desert crop came early and finished early and so is the crop in Salinas."
© Hitchcock Farms
Trajectory in category
As for demand, it's good on this item and the company continues to ramp up the Little Gem program, one that just started in October. "We've added Gem for the most part by customer request to further round out our lettuce categories," he says. "We're keeping up with demand and we expect it to continue to grow."
The item is one for both foodservice, the category where the product launched first and to date, has more penetration, and retail. "It's a chef favorite because it's compact with good flavor and texture," says Holt, noting that the item is a cross between Romaine and Butter lettuces. It also is a versatile product that is being used for grilling and roasting on top of traditional lettuce uses including salads or as a wrap.
Meanwhile, pricing on the item is fairly steady though promotions are expected to help the product gain more traction.
For more information:
Dan Holt
Hitchcock Farms
Tel: +1 (831) 424-8952
https://www.hitchcockfarms.com
