Now that cooler weather has arrived in the major Canadian greenhouse growing areas, a large portion of production is starting to move south towards Mexico over the next month. There is expected to be a transitional gap in supply as Canadian production slows down and Mexico ramps up. This, combined with some issues with field crops, is expected to put upward pressure on prices over the coming weeks.
"As we are a high-tech greenhouse grower, supply of fresh product is available 365 days a year from our farms in Mexico, USA or Canada," shared Harold Paivarinta of Red Sun Farms. "We will be completing production in Canada for this season in the coming month, and focus will transition to our supply in Mexico. We see the pepper market heating up with the decrease in Canadian production, weather impacting the field crops, and delays/damage in low and mid tech plantings will make for a very volatile pepper market for the remainder of 2018."
Demand for organic, specialty peppers increasing
More consumers are seeking out organic greenhouse peppers as well as mini peppers, according to Paivarinta. As a result, Red Sun Farms has continued to invest in supplying organic peppers to the market, along with mini peppers. He also noted that colored varieties in one pack are still a popular item among consumers.
"The demand for peppers is always strong, however as the demand for organics and specialties has increased, we have definitely seen more requests for organic bell peppers, and mini peppers in conventional and organic," Paivarinta said. "Tri-color peppers are another category where we have a consistent request from all our partners. From a visual point, the tricolor peppers are very colorful and really stand out in the produce section, as well as making any dish pop with color and sweetness."
Sweetpops snacking tomato to be launched at PMA
Red Sun Farms will be showcasing its new snacking-sized tomato - Sweetpops - at PMA Fresh Summit this weekend in Orlando, Florida. The greenhouse grower said the new product is a sweet tomato with a pop of flavor. The company has also created unique packaging to complement the launch. Sweetpops will be a centre piece at Red Sun Farms' booth along with some of their other items.
"This year Red Sun Farms is proud to announce that we will be launching our brand new Sweetpops snacking tomato," Paivarinta said. "This brand-new bite size snacking tomato has a combination of refreshing sweetness and size, which releases an explosion of juicy flavor. The intense flavor is best enjoyed as a snack, but will deliver a sweet tomato kick to any meal. In addition, we have paired it with fun packaging that is sure to stand out in any produce department."
"We pride ourselves on having one of the most vibrant booths out there," he continued. "On top of our Sweetpops you can expect a full cross section of the Red Sun Farms portfolio on display including our wide variety of specialties and organics. PMA is one of the largest produce shows throughout the year, it represents huge opportunities for new partnerships and marketing inspiration. It also has a full cross section of individuals from all aspects of the produce industry, on top of having some very informative information sessions."
Red Sun Farms will be at Booth# 443 at PMA.
For more information:
Leona Neill
Red Sun Farms
Tel: +1 (519) 733-3663
lneill@redsunfarms.com
www.redsunfarms.com