Like so many commodities coming out of California this year, apricots got an early start to the season. "Mother Nature was warmer for us in the Central Valley this springtime so we started about 10 days earlier than last year," says Justin Bedwell of Bari Produce. "We're already probably 30 percent through our crop and we're getting into our peak volume even though it's only the first couple of days of May."
Apricot harvesting started around April 15th and following that earlier start, an earlier end to the season is also anticipated for around June 15th.
As for the quality of the fruit, reports are positive. "Brix levels are exactly where they should be and the fruit tastes sweet. The first variety was a bit smaller in size, just due to less time on the tree to get ripe. We're in our third variety now which is Lorna and that usually peaks on extra large fruit so sizing is not an issue," he adds.
© Bari Produce
Demand and starting early
On demand, it was a little slow to start the season following retailers getting their sets up earlier than last year. However, more recently, demand is picking up. "This week we've seen a good retail pull. Memorial Day is usually a very big ad time for us. If we have fruit, Mother's Day can also be a good one so we'll try to hit some of that Mother's Day pull this week and then around the 15th, we'll start with our Memorial Day pull," says Bedwell.
As for pricing, it's on par with last year which is challenging given the increasing prices of growing costs–particularly in California. That's leaving shippers balancing between having a good retail price that will keep fruit moving but also provide good returns back to the grower.
Meanwhile harvest is starting on other stone fruit. The company will begin harvesting peaches and nectarines this coming weekend and then plums will be added to the line up by the end of the month. "Both peaches and nectarines have a good set so we're expecting more fruit than last year," says Bedwell. "I don't think the sizing will be quite as affected as we saw in the early apricots. Our samples in the field look average in size so we're confident we'll have good retail sizing."
For more information:
Justin Bedwell
Bari Produce
Tel: +1 (559) 560-5600
[email protected]
www.bariproduce.com
