The Frozen Market is Important for Berry Producers

This is Tim Hammerich of the Ag Information Network with your Farm of the Future Report.

For crops such as berries, the frozen market plays a very important role for producers. Often times high quality fruit that may not be ideally suited for the fresh market due to shelf life or a number of other factors, will still be desirable as a frozen product. Seal the Seasons wants long term relationships with these farmer customers to buy some of their fruit for the frozen market.

Piasecki… “We want you to win and sell as much as you can to the fresh market as possible to get that best price possible. But you'll either have a glut, (or) the overall commodity price will come down. This happens a lot with strawberries, especially in the East coast when Mexican strawberries and South American strawberries come online. Due to the season, people aren't buying North Carolina, Florida, even Oregon strawberries anymore. It's all about the cheapest price.”

Piasecki says their approach can help farmers manage risk and maximize value for these crops.

Piasecki… “We lock in a certain amount of volume at a certain price at the beginning of the season, and we commit to buying that. And people can bank on that revenue. It's kind of like an insurance against the market, insurance against the poor crop, et cetera. We typically are looking for quality. We're looking for long term partnerships. We're looking for farmers who believe in the same things we want to change. And being a part of the, you know, transparency of where food comes from and bringing that to the frozen section of the grocery store.”

Learn more at www.sealtheseasons.com.