Raspberry growers have been enjoying healthy sales this year, according to British Summer Fruits chairman Laurence Olins.
Speaking at this week’s Fruit Focus exhibition, Olins told the journal: “There are no stocks left. They have sold everything. We are bang up to date as an industry. That may be down to good luck or fortune as well as much more support from the industry.”
Nick Marston, md of KG Fruits agreed higher-profile marketing by the multiples, as well as some incidences of low cropping due to spring frost had helped raspberries to achieve good sales.
He said: “Raspberry marketing has been considerably more successful than in 2004 when raspberry growers had a poor level of sales and saw large volumes of fruit haemorrhage to the wholesale market at very poor returns.”
Marston reported that KG’s supermarket sales were up 20 per cent on the previous year, at similar levels of average return. While, wholesale volumes are well down, with prices consequently up by a massive 60 per cent, he added.
This success is thanks to growers advancing the season as much as possible, and the planting of Octavia in Scotland, which has extended harvesting, Marston explained.
Marston said continued varietal improvement and extending the main cropping season, as well as shouldering UK supplies with superb quality Driscoll primocane raspberries from the US was essential to stimulate further demand.
The company is expecting to launch new varieties from EMR and SCRI in commercial varieties later this year.
And Marston anticipates the arrival of a 24-week raspberry season within a few years. He said it had already progressed from a three-to-four week to a nine-week season and it won’t be long before it’s 24, especially when Octavia kicks into gear.
Raspberry penetration is still only about 25 per cent but growing by 20 per cent a year, he claimed.
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