November 11, 2020
Harvest season is coming to a close here at Fruit d’Or. That said, we’d like to share a few harvest highlights with you as well as a market update on our specialty fruit: cranberries.
2020 has been quite the exceptional year, above and beyond the pandemic, as it also marks twenty years of business for us. To celebrate, we hosted numerous activities such as a drive-in theatre evening and the Doux-novembre competition, where employees were asked to share snippets of memorable moments through Teams. We’ve come up with creative ways to boost the morale of our team members, despite the circumstances.
In Quebec, we finished our harvest right before Indian Summer which doesn't happen often! After two solid years, our yield dropped by roughly 10%. We’ve therefore reverted to what’s considered an average crop for conventional fruit and to a below-average crop for organic fruit. Our cranberries are a good size and have an outstanding colour. The drop in yield is likely due to a lower flower stalk count than in previous springs. Furthermore, summer and fall temperatures provided good ripening conditions.
Lower yields in other areas
In Wisconsin, harvests were much less successful than anticipated. After last year’s poor harvest, producers anticipated higher yields, but the cranberries didn’t grow big enough. Nevertheless, like here in Quebec, the fruit's colour was extraordinary. With so few flowering buds, it’s no surprise that the quantity in this region was so low.
Massachusetts and New Brunswick experienced severe droughts. The number of buds on the plants indicated high yields, but fruit set and plumpness were affected by the lack of water, which also affected harvest. Yields, however, are likely to be lower in these regions than in previous years.
Market impact in a nutshell
Because yields in the top three regions were no better than last year, the volume we anticipated won’t be sufficient to stabilize frozen fruit inventories, which remain at an all-time low. Prices are therefore expected to increase.
Based on market information, cranberry popularity continues to surge worldwide. So, as we begin to fill our freezers with these gorgeous berries, now is the perfect time to contact us with your cranberry needs.
On behalf of myself and the entire team, we appreciate your business!
Anne Létourneau Vice-President of Sales - Ingredients Division
It’s the simple everyday things that make our berries so tender, tasty, healthy and give them the perfect texture. Each parcel of land we farm with care and respect. Each weed we pull by hand. Each extra day we wait to ensure crops are harvested at peak ripeness. Each minute saved between field and freezer. Each berry perfectly preserved. Each unwanted substance detected and eliminated. And each delicious bite our customers enjoy.
