California strawberry supply from the Salinas-Watsonville region is at or near peak volumes, but recent heat and rain have hurt quality and the market is not absorbing the supply well. Steve Johnston of G.W. Palmer & Co. put it directly: "We're peaking here and unfortunately the market is not good."
Quality has improved following the recent weather challenges, but the combination of high volume and soft demand is keeping prices under pressure. The Salinas-Watsonville corridor is one of the most important strawberry growing regions in North America, and a soft market at peak is a real problem for growers.
For buyers, this is a potential promotional opportunity — supply is plentiful and quality is recovering. Salespeople should flag this window to retail customers who may be able to drive volume with aggressive feature pricing.