Tomato supplies still strong in North America
There are still good tomato supplies in North America as the summer months bring on a lot of local…There are still good tomato supplies in North America as the summer months bring on a lot of local and regional crops. As a result, many of the larger growers ease back production on some varieties to ensure a viable market. The weather has been favorable for tomato production for the most part and this should continue for another couple of months. The market so far remains strong.
"We are only in production on Roma and Grape tomatoes during the Summer," said Tony Incaviglia of GR Fresh. "There are too many other options throughout the country during the summer due to local small farming operations in production, so we back off on round tomatoes. Roma and Grape tomato supplies will be consistent through October. November and December are historically challenging months due to inclement and unpredictable weather conditions. Markets are steady with reasonable pricing and good movement."
May cut back production in winter
GR Fresh recently exhibited at the New England Produce Council Expo in Boston. The company's theme was "Sharing the Flavor of Mexico", and they got the chance to show visitors their product lines. They also expressed that North America is currently oversupplied with tomatoes and GR Fresh may look to ease back production in response. "There will be some cut backs in general on the production side for this upcoming winter," Incaviglia shared. "Tomatoes are over supplied across North America."
However, Incaviglia added that the company will continue to focus on recent goals and achievements across all of their produce items. "Recently, GR Fresh has been working to establish more consistent year-round programs as well as bridge more gaps," he said. "We have also introduced new hot pepper value added packaging, bolstered our organic category offerings, and increased the amount of our western vegetable offerings, such as Iceberg, Romaine, Romaine Hearts, Red Leaf, Green Leaf, Celery, Broccoli, etc."