WINTER HAVEN, FL - As the chill slowly makes way for spring here in California, there are a few things that I can look forward to in February: berries and SEPC Southern Exposure 2020. The event brings produce stars from across the industry, and I was curious as to what Always Fresh Farms had up its sleeves this year. I sat with Matt Sumner, Sales, to find out how the strawberries are holding up this season.

“Right now, we are seeing peak production in our Florida strawberries,” Matt started. “The weather has been cool with a few days of rain here and there, but we are still able to harvest large Brilliance and Radiance varieties.”

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, I had to ask how the company is bracing itself for the holiday.

“There is a strong demand for strawberries for Valentine’s Day,” Matt continued, “so we are working with retailers on promotional pricing for ads as well as long-stem berries for bakery promotions, such as chocolate-dipped strawberries.”

Matt further tells me that February 15 through March 15 is a great time for strawberry promotions. With Southern Exposure falling just in the middle of the timeframe, Always Fresh Farms is taking advantage of the event to showcase its bountiful harvest.

“After the Florida strawberry season, we will be starting on our Florida blueberries,” Matt told me. “We are going to start promoting the blueberries at SEPC this year. At the event, we are planning on reaching out to customers to set up meetings and dinners to maximize the face time and continue building relationships with our current customers and hopefully develop relationships with new customers.”

Sounds like SEPC will be the epicenter of the best in produce. To find out more about what the company is offering, stop by booth #747.

Always Fresh Farms