Canadian carrot growers are reporting a slight drop in volume, mostly due to the warmer than average summer. As a result, there is increasing pressure on overall supply in the North American market, with other regions such as Georgia and Florida unlikely to provide any short term relief. Reports are that hurricane activity in that region has meant their season might begin later than normal.
"Supplies are a little lighter than normal because of the hotter and drier summer in Ontario," explained Quinton Woods of Gwillimdale Farms. "We are now seeing supply pressure on the market which we expect to last throughout the Holiday season. It appears the hurricanes that passed through Georgia and Florida affected planting and we understand that this may push back their season."
Market feeling the pressure
With the challenge facing carrot supplies, it's likely that prices will rise in the coming weeks. This is not certain however, with growers waiting to see what effect other factors in the market - such as supply out of Mexico - will have. Woods however said that he is happy with the quality coming out of the company's fields and warehouse, providing confidence moving forward.
"The market looks to be picking up which would likely cause prices to rise over the coming weeks," he observed. "At this stage, prices are close to the average for this time of year, but we are not sure where they will head going forward. Currently, Gwillimdale Farms has ample supply and excellent quality carrots and we expect a good Holiday season as well as looking forward to having a good supply all year."
"Looking ahead, our Mexican crop is looking good at this stage," Woods continued. "It has been cooler down there so growth is taking longer than normal, but quality is looking great and we expect to have an excellent season when we start shipping from there in March."
Gwillimdale Farms' second year offering carrots year round
Gwillimdale Farms said this is the second full year it is offering carrots year round. Rotating between their winter Canadian and summer Mexican crops, the company has managed to establish itself among Canadian retailers. With an expansion in offerings from McAllen, Gwillimdale is now also attracting the attention of US retailers.
"Gwillimdale Farms are currently shipping from Bradford Ontario until March before we transition to our packing facility in Guanajuato, Mexico which takes us through the summer season," Woods shared. "The company have now been supplying our Canadian customers 365 days a year for the second full year and now we are getting interest from some retailers in the US. We have loadings out of McAllen daily, from where we can also ship FOB. In McAllen we are also completely food safety certified. Our retail packs include 1lb, 2lb, 3lb and 5lb."
For more information:
Quinton Woods
Gwillimdale Farms
Ph: +1 (905) 775-2889
quinton@gwillimdalefarms.com
www.gwillimdalefarms.com