Supplies of beets out of California continue to hum along.
“There are no supply issues currently. I think everybody has product and for us, we’re coming into a large field of them,” says Geoffrey Ratto of Ratto Bros Inc. in Modesto, Ca, noting that supplies are currently coming out of Salinas, Modesto, Oxnard and Santa Maria, Ca.
Ratto supplies red beets in both conventional and organic and packs one dozen, two dozen or 25 lb. bags. “Currently we do more volume on the conventional side. Our organic program doesn’t give us a chance to see if it would match the volume,” says Ratto. “There is growth in organics. But the time of the year where we farm, it’s very hot and in the organic world, the heat creates a problem. Our summertime plantings cut way back just to maintain the quality.”
Equally consistent demand
Meanwhile demand for beets also continues to be steady. “There’s consistent movement but not huge orders—just consistent movement,” says Ratto, who notes that demand for beets tends to push up on holidays including Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter.
This means pricing right now on beets is between $10.50-$13.50 depending on where they are coming out of. “I would suspect the pricing is pretty similar to last year,” says Ratto. “The markets aren’t cheap but they’re not strong either. It’s just a steady market with steady volume and I haven’t heard any issues with local product struggling across the country.”
Looking ahead, Ratto sees more strong supplies building in the coming weeks.
For more information:
Geoffrey Ratto
Ratto Bros.
Tel: +1 (209) 545-7575
[email protected]
www.rattobros.com
