SALINAS, CA - As the holiday push surrounding Easter begins to mount, one versatile veg that will be the star of many dishes is asparagus. Being an expert in the category, Ippolito International is one supplier preparing to stock retail shelves far and wide. To see what buyers can expect, I reached out to Ippolito International’s Caleb Randall, Asparagus Commodity Manager.

“There were some challenges in the market three weeks ago, but it has been gaining traction over the past week,” Caleb told me. “There has been promotable volume and, weather permitting, we should see promotable volume for the next few weeks.”

Caleb explained that Ippolito is slightly past the halfway point of its asparagus season, featuring winter and early spring programs out of Mexico, and the beginning of its California program in Salinas. He says weather has been on the cooler side in the Mexico growing regions, which has kept production in check, and has also provided Ippolito with outstanding quality.

“Cooler nights and days are giving us beautiful grass for our customers,” Caleb continued. “Our conventional and organic programs in California are also off to a great start, and our customers have been extremely happy and continue to reorder our product.”

Weather events in different parts of the country and the ongoing impacts of the pandemic still have the potential to shift the market, as Caleb explained. However, he is confident that consumers are ready for the excitement of spring, and that the Easter holiday will bring about a boost in asparagus sales.

“Markets have been lower than I would like to see them, but the movement has been steady,” Caleb concludes. “With Easter around the corner, and with the country starting to open up for business, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the markets start to head in a positive direction.”

To stay up to date with the industry’s top categories, keep reading the reports from our team at ANUK.

Ippolito International