Goldenberry supplies are tight from Colombia and look to be staying that way possibly for the majority of 2023. Frank Martinez of A.R. Produce says there are two countries that produce goldenberries year-round--Ecuador as well as Colombia. “I’m currently using Colombia and the supply has been very low since late 2022,” he says.
“We have had a lot of weather issues. It was very cold weather in the areas where goldenberries are cultivated and this literally burned a good percentage of the planted cultivars.” Martinez estimates that production is approximately 40-50 percent of normal supplies.
As a commodity, goldenberries are easy to grow. “The problem though is there are quarantines and regulations by the USDA. Every new field that we plant of goldenberries, we need to wait about nine months to be free of pests and then they can start shipping to the U.S.,” he says. “Imagine when we have a freeze like the one we had that killed a good percentage of the field. We had to replant those fields and then once production starts, then you have to wait nine months.”
Higher pricing from Ecuador
At the same time, Ecuador does have supplies of goldenberries. However, the price is approximately 50 percent higher than Colombian fruit and Martinez says it’s going to stay with Colombian production.
As for demand, goldenberries are still a newer item to the market and unique and not all retailers know about them. “So the demand isn’t as high as it is for other newer commodities like dragon fruit. We’re trying to work with retailers but it’s not there yet,” he says, noting it’s also expanding education efforts around golden berries via social media.
On pricing, it is strong right now on goldenberries. “However once the new fields can ship via the USDA, we’re going to be a bit more aggressive on price and target some specific areas with some retailers to increase awareness of this item,” says Martinez.
For more information:
Frank Martinez
A.R. Produce
Tel: +1 (305) 246-1333
frank@arproduce.us
http://www.arproduce.us/