Variety Farms navigates frost challenges while investing in the future
Variety Farms navigates frost challenges while investing in the future
Despite spring freeze events that impacted growers throughout New Jersey and other East Coast growing regions, Variety Farms remains optimistic about the upcoming season and the long-term outlook for the blueberry category.
“We had some pretty significant frost and freeze events in late-April while the blueberries were in bloom,” said Brandon Raso, vice president and general manager of the Hammonton, NJ-based company. “The weather affected not only blueberries, but also peaches, apples, cherries and some early planted vegetables.”
The cold temperatures negatively impacted portions of the crop, though Raso noted there is still reason for optimism as the season approaches.
“The bad news is it did impact the crop,” Raso said. “The good news is we still have blueberries hanging on the plants today, and I think we’re still going to have an okay harvest.”
As the New Jersey blueberry industry continues evolving, growers are increasingly transitioning away from older varieties and experimenting with newer genetics aimed at improving flavor, firmness and overall eating quality.
“For years, New Jersey was heavily planted in Duke, Bluecrop and Elliott,” Raso said. “Now we’re seeing a lot of growers remove some of those older varieties and start trialing newer genetics.”
Among the newer varieties gaining traction are Draper, Arabella, Top Shelf and Envoy.
“The selection process comes down to a lot of factors,” Raso said. “Growers want a variety that yields well, has strong firmness, good color and excellent taste.”
Consumer expectations are also playing a bigger role in varietal development decisions.
“It’s important to meet and exceed what consumers expect when they buy blueberries at the supermarket,” Raso said. “If consumers have a good eating experience, demand stays strong.”
One of the biggest trends the company is seeing involves demand for larger fruit.
“We’ve definitely seen increased demand for jumbo berries over the last few years,” Raso said.
Taste has also become a more important purchasing factor as blueberries increasingly move beyond breakfast applications and become an everyday snack item.
“Blueberries are transitioning from something people put into oatmeal or smoothies into a healthy snack alternative,” Raso said. “Consumers are eating blueberries in their rawest form now, so flavor really matters.”
Packaging trends continue evolving as well, though standard clamshell formats remain dominant throughout the category.
“You still have your standard dry pint and 18-ounce packs, and those are probably the biggest,” Raso said, “but there are always alternatives like six-ounce, 11-ounce and 2-pound clamshells.”
Outside of weather, other challenges are impacting the company.
“Labor continues becoming more difficult across every industry, not just farming,” Raso said.
While mechanical harvesting options continue improving, Raso believes hand harvesting will remain critical for premium fresh-market blueberries.
“There’s always going to be a need for manual labor,” Raso said. “A good portion of fresh blueberries will still need to be handpicked and hand packed.”
One area that especially excites the company moving forward is the growing use of drone technology throughout agriculture. The technology is helping growers gather information that previously would have been difficult or impossible to obtain.
“These drones are estimating yields, identifying disease and pests and helping evaluate soil conditions,” Raso said. “That data allows growers to make better decisions and improve overall production.”
For Variety Farms, maintaining strong grower relationships also remains central to the company’s success. “Most growers are multi-generational operations, and those relationships take years to build,” Raso said. “Trust comes from consistently delivering the best product possible year after year.”
