Mace believes most customers of independent chains prefer to pick out their own produce, not order from a photo online. In response, the stores came up with their own innovative service for this market: “They have shuttle services where they pick up people who can’t get to their stores,” she explains. “These are not people who are going to buy produce off the Internet.”
GRAPE DEMAND: California table and wine grape growers hit record-high production levels in 2013.
True: California grape production is indeed booming, and Means credits the grape industry with engineering its own success. “Grapes in general are one of the most popular fruits,” she affirms. “The grape industry has done a great job with new varieties and varieties that extend the season.”
The outlook for the future is just as optimistic, according to Barry Bedwell, CEO and president of the California Grape and Tree Fruit League. “I think the initial estimates look for a crop that is very comparable to last year,” he observes, adding that the grape season started early this year in the San Joaquin Valley rather than in the first week in July as usual. “The early start to the season is consistent with the level of optimism we’ve seen in recent years.”
Bedwell estimates about 117 million boxes of grapes are produced each year from California growers and credits the tenacity and skills of the state’s family-owned and operated farms. “Quality demands are such that people don’t go in and out of the market; you’re committed to it 100 percent or not at all,” he says. “Growers who grow table grapes have diminished, but these family operations are more committed than ever.”
PESTS AND PRODUCE: A Mediterranean fruit fly infestation was recently discovered in Monterey County.
False: In reality, the ‘Medfly’ is less of a worry as the industry finds new and better ways to combat the tiny pest. “We have a system for early detection and treatment,” Bedwell explains.
Bob Blakely, director of industry relations for California Citrus Mutual in Exeter, agrees, stating “the Medfly is not a huge problem. It will show up periodically—sometimes almost every year. We can usually control it with biological measures; we release sterile flies and it breeds itself out of existence.”
The bigger bully on the block is the infamous Asian citrus psyllid, which carries Huanglongbing or citrus greening disease. “The Medfly is so last century,” Means asserts.
Indeed, the bulk of USDA pest and disease funding is directed at fighting citrus greening. “This is one of the most visible and devastating threats to the citrus industry. Florida is in the middle of it, California is on the cusp.”
