California strawberry volume is entering a natural lull as the ever-bearing crop winds down and summer-planted fields are just getting started. According to John Wilkinson of Blazer Wilkinson Gee, LLC, this transition period typically runs quiet through August — roughly six weeks of reduced availability before new supply ramps up.
For buyers, this means the window for heavy strawberry promotions is closing until the summer crop builds volume. When supply tightens seasonally like this, market prices tend to firm up, which affects both retail ad planning and foodservice menu costing.
Category managers should plan promotions around the upcoming supply build rather than the current lull, and watch for signals on quality and volume as the summer-planted crop begins to move.