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Led by the Oxnard growing district, California strawberry acreage increased by 7 percent this year, which, weather permitting, should result in increased production throughout the season.
More than 26,300 acres of strawberries were planted for harvest in 2000, up from about 24,600 acres in 1999. The Oxnard growing area is showing the biggest increase with almost 900 new acres, representing a 13 percent increase from 1999 levels. Santa Maria had an even higher percentage increase (14 percent) but the number of acres is not as large as in Oxnard. The Watsonville/Salinas district, which is the largest district in the state, increased 350 acres in 2000. Orange County acreage remained constant.
"Increased production means more promotional opportunites throughout the year,"
said Dave Riggs, president of the California Strawberry Commission.
Very little rain in the southern half of the
January and the first half of February, resulted in a quick start to the 2000 season. CSC spokesperson Dominique Jordan said that as of February 26, California shippers had sent almost four million trays of berries to the market, about twice as much as the previous year, which had been plagued by early rain.
Inclement weather is always the nemesis of the Southern California strawberry grower, as it is virtually impossible to get through the winter/early spring months without some type of harvest-delaying weather wreaking havoc. And this year is no different. Though the first six weeks were pretty good, late February and early March (as we write this) in Southern California has seen a series of storms which has stalled production. Typically a few days of heavy rains will hurt production for about a week and then the plants will rebound and the pickers can get back into the fields.
Southern California retailers were hoping for a March and April with good production as they typically like to promote strawberries in the early part of the season. In fact, Jordan said promotional support from the commission was available to Southern Califomia retailers as of March 1.
The peak of the season is typically May and June, when all five districts are in production and California can ship as many as five million trays per week. This is when strawberries are promoted most often throughout the country. The commission has a $2.3 million marketing budget Its major marketing thrust is centered in two key areas: information gathering and ad incentives. Gathering, evaluating and reporting critical information about the strawberry category is an important aspect of the commission's work. "The retail marketplace continues to change and we are responding with programs that will help our marketing partners increase sales and profits," said Riggs.
California
Strawberries
Crop Size:
Acreage is up 7%
Merchandising Tip:
Clamshells & Half Trays are Most Profitable
Season:
Close to Year Round, but will peak with
5 million trays per week in May
Growing Districts:
5 in California from Sandiego to Watsonville
Slogan:
Great Straight
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Jordan said the commissions merchandisers are well-versed on category management topics, and that is one of their top selling tools when calling on retailers. According to new research conducted by the commission and Willard Bishop Consulting, if handled correctly, strawberries can be a key profit center for retailers. The commission's research documented retailer costs to distribute and handle fresh produce in four key categories: strawberries, apples, lettuce and bananas. The research quantified the true profit contribution of these items and identified opportunities for retailers to improve their results with strawberries. The research found strawberries retain more profits than the other categories studied. The top profit items in the category were the one-pound clam shell and half trays. "The bottom line is strawberries contribute 29 percent net profits. The high consumer demand and rapid movement of strawberries means substantial dollar profit for the produce department," said Stephanie Chastain, who wears many hats for
the commission, including marketing director.
Research has long shown that consumer advertising is one of the best ways to impact sales of California strawberries, so Jordan said "the ad incentive program is the workhorse of the retail promotional plan." Retailers are given some type of incentive, including cash, to run strawberry advertising in their regular food day promotions.
This year, the commission has also tied in with Cool Whip on a major promotion that should bring attention to both fresh and frozen strawberries. Cool Whip is running nationwide ads on television and in magazines, and building in-store displays. The promotion, which begins in April and extends throughJuly, is timed to coincide with the peak season for California strawberry production. During the promotion period, most California strawberries packaged in one-pound consumer pack containers will feature a Cool Whip Whipped Topping logo.
Chastain, who is also the company's foodservice director, said CSC tends to target
national and regional family restaurant chains for its foodservice promotions. The focus in recent years has been the developing of new recipe ideas to get broad use of strawberries across all day parts. Toward this end the commission sponsors a two-day educational seminar for family chains and large independents at the Culinary Institute of America facility in Napa Valley. Top chefs give demonstrations and recipe ideas to those in attendance.
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