US (CA): Increase in prune exports to Western Europe

“The quality of this year’s California prune crop is very good,” says Mark Dorman of the California…

“The quality of this year’s California prune crop is very good,” says Mark Dorman of the California Prune Board UK. “The growing conditions and established industry expertise deliver a prune crop that is renowned for its superior quality. Volume is in line with our expectations and is approximately 90,000 tonnes.”

Closed borders to Russia
For the UK and other Western European countries, this year’s supply is better than last year’s. “This is caused by the fact that the US is no longer able to ship prunes to Russia and the Ukraine, which were emerging as developing markets. The product that was destined for these countries was easily reallocated across Europe and resulted in a 32 percent volume increase for European countries,” mentioned Dorman.

Importance of European market
“The European market is very important for California prunes and makes up 40 percent of US prune exports. Germany is the largest European consumer and saw import volume going up 37 percent in the past 12 months. Italy is the second most important market, followed by the UK,” added Dorman. California supplies more than 50 percent of the total UK prune market. “The UK highly values California prunes due the California Prune Board’s ongoing commitment to researching the key health benefits associated with prunes and the consistent quality and superior taste,” said Dorman.

Prune consumption shifting towards healthy snack
Prune consumption is shifting. “It is moving away from the traditional home baking and breakfast occasions into the acceptance of prunes as a healthy snack and a versatile ingredient for home cooking,” commented Dorman. “Chefs from all around the world are starting to recognize the significant benefits of including prunes in a whole range of recipes. At the same time food manufacturers are fascinated by the prune’s ability to serve as a low-fat, substitute for butter.”

30-day harvest window
California prune harvest starts around August 10 and continues for about 30 days. “Unlike some other prune producing countries (where plums are knocked off the tree by a stick and can spend several days lying in the dust of the orchard floor before being swept from the ground), Californian prune growers harvest their orchard ripe plums directly off the trees purely by mechanical means, ensuring that the fruit never touches the ground.”

Drying process
The plums are washed in spring water and put into carefully controlled dehydration on the same day they are harvested. “That means we can vouch for the perfect quality of each and every California prune, every time,” said Dorman.

“The process of drying plums was perfected in California, and today California’s state-of-the-art storage and packing plants are the largest and most advanced in the world.” Immediately after harvesting, the washed fruit is placed on wooden trays and dehydrated in a series of strictly monitored operations. “Super-sensitive thermostats ensure production of uniformly high quality prunes and that all the fruit’s natural goodness is retained when dried.”

The California Prune Board UK provides marketing support and expertise to drive the sales and marketing of California prunes into a wide range of markets spanning Europe, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.