This time of year, Australia and South Africa are the dominant suppliers of lychees to the U.S. market. While South Africa brings in the largest volume, Australia focuses on providing U.S. consumers with a high-quality product. "Australia is well known for having a good lychee that looks attractive and has a sweet flavor at the same time," says Daniel Newport with Pinnacle Fresh. "The external color is very consistent and bright red."
High demand for Lunar New Year
Australian lychees are grown for quality, not for volume. As a result, the product commands a premium price. "We target retailers that understand the difference between the different lychees available in the market and are willing to pay a premium price." Lychees are most popular within Asian communities. "For most Asian clientele, Australia is the lychee source of choice, and we feel very fortunate our peak season coincides with Lunar New Year (LNY)," Newport commented. Since lychees are a popular gift item for LNY, it results in high demand for the product in the weeks leading up to the festivities.
Lychees in clamshell packaging.
Peak season
The Australian lychee season started in December and very small volumes of fruit were available in stores before Christmas. However, once January came around, the peak season started very quickly, and large volumes are now on their way to the U.S. West Coast. They are flown in by air, directly from Brisbane to Los Angeles and San Francisco. While New York City is on the company's radar for the coming years, availability is currently limited to the U.S. West Coast due to geographic proximity. "It's a 15-hour direct flight from Brisbane, which allows us to get the product in U.S. stores quickly and in excellent condition," Newport shared.
Three packaging options are available: an 11 lb. standard carton, a 1 kg. gift pack as well as a 1 lb. clamshell. Lychees from the 11 lb. carton can be sold in bulk or are being repacked into 1 lb. clamshells. The gift packs are popular for Lunar New Year.
Lychees from Pinnacle Fresh are sold under the Sun Lychee brand.
Favorable weather conditions
From a supply perspective, lychees are grown in North Queensland, a region with a tropical climate. There can be hurricanes, storms, and heavy winds, but apart from some rain, the weather has been kind over the past month. "Due to favorable conditions, we are experiencing the best lychee season ever, which has resulted in large volumes and excellent quality." Lychees from Pinnacle Fresh are grown by the Sun Lychee Group and packed under the Sun Lychee brand. The season is relatively short, lasting about seven to eight weeks before it finishes up around mid-February.
For more information:
Daniel Newport
Pinnacle Fresh USA
[email protected]
www.pinnaclefresh.com.au
