JULY 20248IN MY OPINIONBy Victor Cedillo, Global Expansion Sales Director, Driscoll'sTHE CHALLENGES TO SELLING FRESH BERRIES AROUND THE WORLDIt's 6:00 a.m. on a California strawberry field, and one of the field crews is getting ready to start picking berries. At the same time, it is 9:00 p.m. at a Hong Kong restaurant, and the chef has just realized that he will need more fresh strawberries in two days. The field crew and the chef are working together ­ without knowing it ­ to provide consumers with fresher and tastier berries. A battle against the clock has started again.Why is there a battle?Berries are among the most perishable items across the produce department. The big issue is that an oxidation process begins immediately after harvest. The pre-cooling procedure starts at the distribution centers that receive the fruit; they're usually located close to the farms. Pre-cooling helps to stop the development of oxidation on the berries. Still, there's a condition for that to work, and that's the need for the temperature to stay between 32 and 36° Fahrenheit from the pre-cooling stage all the way to the final destination.As soon as the temperature rises above this range, our berries will begin to spoil.Every hour that the fruit is not kept at the ideal temperature will decrease shelf life and quality once the berries arrive at their destination; this is why it is so critical for every strawberry to get to its final destination as fast and as cold as possible.What are the main challenges we have as an industry?Despite distances and differences in time zones, everyone expects to have the most delightful and freshest product once it arrives on the consumer's plate. Berry products (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries) are often used to bring color and flavor to salads as well as to pastries, and nobody is happy to see over-ripe or unusable berries in restaurants or bakeries.Consumers will always be eager to eat delicious berries, and it is always our responsibility to make them available
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