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 Latest News  StrawberriesMaking ends meetA combination of the early start of the Egyptian season in December, followed by a burst of cooler weather, has led to the volume of fruit currently available being lower than anticipated affecting a number of varieties. Latest news is that the second flush is on course to arrive around January 14. Israel, which has also been experiencing lighter crops of Yuval, is now on the increase, which compensates for the impact of sever windstorms at the other end of the Mediterranean. These have hit Moroccan production and in some cases been so severe that tunnels have been blown down. While this has reduced picking we would expect harvesting at the normal rate to be back on course within a fortnight. Spain is expecting the first pick around mid month.  RaspberriesSpain dominatesSpanish Glen Lyon represents the bulk available and the crop is now beginning to produce good volumes of fruit.  BlackberriesMexico rulesGood volumes of excellent quality Tupi are now arriving from Mexico with the expectation that there will be continuity of supply through until May.  BlueberriesChilean build upWhile the Argentinean crop is now coming to a close our programmes are being maintained with the first sea freight arrivals from Chile. With good volumes now expected on a continuous basis over the next two months promotional activities are already beginning to get underway to further boost sales. There are also a number of marketing initiatives in place to raise awareness of the individual customer promotions.  Red CurrantsQuality controlWith the Dutch crop safely in store there is a consistent availability of excellent quality fruit for our specialist customers in the months ahead.  RhubarbDutch treatHolland continues to be the major source for the forced crop until our own English season gets underway. At present there is sufficient quantity from across the North Sea to meet our programmes. Even if hopefully, the increased consumer demand is repeated for another year. |
