Florida Thai guava growers are seeing strong prices due to lower domestic volumes caused by off-season yields.
“We’re in a gap right now,” says Sonia Raymond of Tropical Produce Specialist Corp., referring to Thai guava’s off-peak season of October through March. “Crop quality is good for those that have product this time of year, but volumes are low.” With demand steady and supply depressed, that’s led to strong sales for winter season Thai guava growers.
Adds Raymond: “If you have Thai guava right now, you’re making money.”
Market growing
Tropical Produce sources from farms around Homestead and Redlands, FL, where Raymond says conditions are ideal for growers who wish to produce Thai guava year-round. “The Homestead area provides excellent volumes of tropical fruit specialties throughout the year.”
Raymond, who says that her company ships largely to northeast cities like New York, Boston, and Philadelphia, notes that strong demand from Americans of East Asian heritage has created a strong market for Thai guava. Sales on Thai guava have grown for Tropical Produce in recent years, and the company plans to move a higher volume of crop in 2016.
