“We’re continuing to grow the program in support of the category’s demand,” says Gabriella Besaw, Sales for D’Arrigo California in Salinas, Ca. “In addition to the increased plantings, we’re also seeing higher yields at the field level and organic supplies are increasing as well which have bolstered the overall market supply.”
Favorable weather
This year’s weather conditions have been mild and that’s provided strong supplies throughout the summer. Besaw anticipates that to stay consistent into the fall.
While year-round supply of both conventional and organic broccoli rabe come from the Salinas Valley, Ca. from March to November and Brawley, Ca. from November to March, competing product comes from the Salinas, Imperial and Yuma Valleys.
In terms of demand, the most it comes from the East Coast (New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Chicago and Rhode Island) and Eastern Canada (Ontario and Quebec) but also Western Canada in Alberta and British Colombia, says D’Arrigo’s Claudia Pizarro-Villalobos "There are large Mediterranean populations that grew up eating broccoli rabe/rapini,” says Pizarro-Villalobos, adding that pricing on rabe this year is similar to last year. “We’re also starting to see a larger number of Chinese, Vietnamese, Burmese, Thai, and Portuguese cuisines using broccoli rabe. This is growing the demand in these new markets since broccoli rabe is a great substitute for kale, broccoli, gai lan, bok choy, collard and mustard greens.”
Teaching customers
Part of growing the customer base includes an educational component. “Broccoli rabe is a brassica that is part of the mustard family, hence its bold flavor,” says Pizarro-Villalobos. “Our challenge is to educate consumers that blanching is a key step in preparing broccoli rabe and then you can sauté, grill, roast, puree and steam the vegetable.”
She also adds that many consumers don’t know what the vegetable is and confuse it with broccolini, baby broccoli or broccoli. “We started a campaign three years ago to increase education and awareness of Andy Boy broccoli rabe,” says Pizarro-Villalobos. “Our goal is to educate consumers on the versatility of broccoli rabe in any ethnic cuisine, underscore the array of health benefits, and highlight cooking techniques.”
