Among the other top trending items are specialty melons like “Sugar Kiss, Honey Kiss, and Golden Kiss,” Kirch says, that people are beginning to request by name each season. In addition, he finds many of the new more unusually-flavored grape varieties such as Cotton Candy, Celebration, and Witch Fingers, are also gaining favor with consumers, especially kids. He also notes demand for an old stalwart, the tomato, is still hot for heirlooms, grape tomatoes, and Campari varieties.
Tropical fruits, such as mangos, especially “golden Ataulfo mangos from Mexico,” Kirch says, are experiencing high demand.
Indianapolis Fruit’s Corsaro concurs, seeing growth opportunities for a number of specialty and ethnic produce items. “The Asian category items like bok choy, Napa and Chinese cabbages, baby vegetables and fruits such as Asian pears and dragon fruit are no longer strangers here in the Midwest.
“In the Hispanic pepper category,” Corsaro continues, “we’re seeing more demand for jalapeño, Serrano, poblano and Hatch chiles. There are new varieties of apples like the Diva, Emergo, Kanzi, and Kiku in addition to the Honeycrisp, which continues to grow in popularity each year.”
Maglio too has seen added interest in specialty items, like jicama, along with an old-fashioned vegetable, rutabagas. “Root vegetables like rutabagas and jicama are also trending into mainstream uses.” (For more information on dragon fruit, jicama, and other specialty fruits and vegetables, see “Mainstream Appeal,” an article in No Boundaries: The Hispanic Market’s Unprecedented Growth, one of this edition’s supplements.)
FRESH FORUM
Do you source greenhouse-grown product?Robert Kirch,
Caito Foods Service Inc.
We see regional greenhouses emerging as a viable option for supply. We source greenhouse product out of Canada, Mexico, and domestically. The demand has increased significantly over the past ten years and will continue as these growers develop varieties with different flavor profiles.Justin Howell,
Front Row Produce, LLC
We source our tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers from greenhouse farms in Mexico and Canada. Our customers demand these products and we typically see better quality.Buddy Pupillo,
Independent Fruit & Produce Company
We deal in mostly conventional tomatoes, not too much with heirlooms. Demand has grown because more buyers want consistent product. Also, because the environment is controlled, rain doesn’t wipe out the crop so we don’t get swings in availability.Greg Corsaro,
Indianapolis Fruit Company
Yes; demand for greenhouse-grown items continues to increase.Sam Maglio Jr.,
Maglio & Company
The demand for greenhouse products is increasing. We currently see a strong supply of Canadian greenhouse products coming into the Midwest as well as Mexican protected agriculture products.We’re working in conjunction with Growing Power, an urban farming organization, to put greenhouses on our distribution facility land. Local retailers and foodservice entities have committed to buy the crops out of these structures.
Peter Piazza,
Piazza Produce, Inc.
We handle hothouse red peppers, tomatoes, and cucumbers. In the last five years these items have really gained momentum.
