The California stonefruit crop is in “robust” form this year, with volumes slightly up on last season and the UK market performing well for shippers.
Gordon Smith, manager of international marketing programmes at the California Tree Fruit Agreement, told FPJ: “The UK market is a challenging one, as there are often not a lot of opportunities mid-season - however, some retailers are now taking consistent volumes.”
The California industry has been operating in the UK for three seasons now. “In 2006, we visited the UK to introduce ourselves, which was critical, and last year we co-ordinated promotions with the retailers,” said Smith. “I visited London two weeks ago as it was critical for us to build on the momentum of the last two years, and being in the UK at the start of September was vital in terms of hitting our peak supplies. I was on the ground meeting key retailers, looking to expand on what we did last year.”
The trip to the UK was “incredibly productive”, said Smith. “The customers’ knowledge of the value of Californian fruit was great and they were all very supportive. Our growers will be pleased it is becoming more consistent in the UK.”
A decade prior to Smith coming on board, shipments fluctuated, he said, but the last few years have seen a major increase in volumes to the UK.
“The challenge going forward is we need to stay innovative and cutting edge. We can’t just sit on our laurels. In-store promotions are the way to do it, and the way to increase sales at the start of the season,” he said.
However, the lift in UK performance has coincided with a tough period on the domestic market, said Smith. “The market in the US has been tough - retail has been a little off. At the moment it is cheaper for growers to ship a container to Taiwan than drive a truck to the East Coast,” he added.
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