Give me ugly, small, tasty berries any day instead of the opposite of that. Wonder if strawberries will join tomatoes and apples: return to variety, more focus on taste vs aesthetics.
Maybe you're getting some bad Driscoll's. I've been impressed with the improvement in both looks and taste over the past few years. They also sometimes offer giant, beautiful strawberries which one would expect would sacrifice taste for looks - but they don't.
I have no doubt everyone who grew up with strawberries in the yard thinks the same. I don't expect a berry to get from lab to farm to grocer and be able to compete with something fresh picked that summer morning.
Is being patronising a marketing tactic, or were the "Joy Makers" just not briefed on how to speak to journalists about their competition? I can't imagine anything more offputting coming from a company whose main competition is essentially pro-bono researchers than "you don't know how to enjoy our (proprietary) product". A statement of healthy competition would at least have maintained a public image.
Driscoll blackberries are incredible. The size of my thumb (huge) and a sweet taste almost like wine. Respect from me for the work that must have gone into all aspects of breeding, growing, transporting and marketing.
Yes! I totally agree with everyone else about Driscoll strawberries (pretty but not sweet, a bit tart), but their blackberries are awesome (although only sometimes!). I've had the small organic ones that are wonderful, but also the big conventional monstrous ones that just melt in your mouth that are sweet, but closer to wine than the small ones. I've also had just mediocre blackberries from them - I think mediocre blackberries are better than mediocre strawberries though.
For years we have commented and purchased Driscolls.. They are the most flavorful and last even longer than picked-your-own by me..
What i wonder is how driscoll and others are all grouped together in the supermarket... The only difference is the label. Are they from the same growers fields? How does a grocery store receive its berries?
I'm a produce buyer for a small grocery in Maine. We focus on local vegetables, but also buy produce from the national supply chain.
We work with a broker at the Chelsea produce market in Chelsea, MA. Twice a week, I email him an order for the produce we need from the national market, specifying details about each product (size, grower, production region). He uses his knowledge and relationships to buy the best product he can, from the large wholesalers there. The market has around 240 dock bays, and is open from 2 am to noon. We send a truck down to arrive at 8 am, and pickup the produce from the wholesalers where our broker ordered.
The overall produce market is structured into growers, that grow and harvest the crops. Packers, that purchase crops from the growers, wash, cool and pack them, and shippers, that purchase from packers. The wholesalers in Boston purchase from shippers, and sell to regional retail and wholesale customers. Many companies are vertically integrated, and own multiple links in this chain. Larger groceries and supermarkets either negotiate directly with the packers, or the wholesalers at the Chelsea market. A large store can commit to buying on a large enough scale to drive their retail price below what I can pay wholesale during the peak season for a commodity.
In grocery stores there are basically two ways items get shelved and stocked. For bigger brands (Lays for instance) the truck drivers will actually bring the stock to the aisles and shelve them according to how Lays wants it done. Grocery store never touches it. The other way is for smaller brands, they ship to the grocery store and store employees stock the aisles.
This is why stuff like chips, soft drinks, cereal, and probably even fruit from large companies always seems so organized together.
There are entire industries of analysts and consultants who work with companies like P&G, Heinz, Frito-Lay, Coca-cola who define shelf layout in every store. It's called a planogram. First time a store employee touches a Driscolls clamshell is likely when the cashier scans it.
At least here, that is false for Driscolls. Both our local grocery chains have store employees stock them, and I've seen them do it.
You're right about PepsiCo/Frito-Lay and other similar brands stocking shelves themselves, due to product quality and freshness being core parts of their branding.
Readit News
When I see an asymmetric tomato, in both size and color, I think, "Hey I bet that tastes good..".
EDIT: s/funny/sad/
I frankly don't know why anyone buys the shiny ones more than once.
I agree that tomatoes are terrible.
https://ww2.kqed.org/news/2017/08/01/driscolls-tied-to-centr...
https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-07-18/workers-who-pick-your...
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/08/07/209925420/why...
What i wonder is how driscoll and others are all grouped together in the supermarket... The only difference is the label. Are they from the same growers fields? How does a grocery store receive its berries?
We work with a broker at the Chelsea produce market in Chelsea, MA. Twice a week, I email him an order for the produce we need from the national market, specifying details about each product (size, grower, production region). He uses his knowledge and relationships to buy the best product he can, from the large wholesalers there. The market has around 240 dock bays, and is open from 2 am to noon. We send a truck down to arrive at 8 am, and pickup the produce from the wholesalers where our broker ordered.
The overall produce market is structured into growers, that grow and harvest the crops. Packers, that purchase crops from the growers, wash, cool and pack them, and shippers, that purchase from packers. The wholesalers in Boston purchase from shippers, and sell to regional retail and wholesale customers. Many companies are vertically integrated, and own multiple links in this chain. Larger groceries and supermarkets either negotiate directly with the packers, or the wholesalers at the Chelsea market. A large store can commit to buying on a large enough scale to drive their retail price below what I can pay wholesale during the peak season for a commodity.
This is why stuff like chips, soft drinks, cereal, and probably even fruit from large companies always seems so organized together.
There are entire industries of analysts and consultants who work with companies like P&G, Heinz, Frito-Lay, Coca-cola who define shelf layout in every store. It's called a planogram. First time a store employee touches a Driscolls clamshell is likely when the cashier scans it.
You're right about PepsiCo/Frito-Lay and other similar brands stocking shelves themselves, due to product quality and freshness being core parts of their branding.