Special Report: Asparagus

Special Report

Asparagus

Grocery retailers have observed how asparagus has transitioned from a seasonal category to a yearround staple due to consumer request. Even though demand experiences a pattern of peaks and valleys each year, the overall appetite for year-round asparagus remains steady and consistent. Even out of season, asparagus is highly sought after, and consumers are willing to pay more for it. Retailers have characterized the vegetable as one that dutifully drives sales and consumer interest. One facet of being able to supply asparagus regularly, retailers say, is the time well spent nurturing their partnerships with suppliers.

Within the category, shoppers overwhelmingly prefer local and fresh. Expectations and popularity of being able to enjoy asparagus 12 months out of the year has tasked suppliers with sourcing further away, subsequently driving the price up. However, consumers are loyal to the category and to retailers who offer reliable supply and are not price sensitive. During asparagus season, grocery retailers are given the opportunity to drive consumer demand with aggressive prices and merchandising. It is integral to promote with retailers during the times of the year when asparagus prices can fluctuate.

“Asparagus sales have been higher last year, which is a common factor due to the pandemic, but overall sales have maintained momentum up until now,” said Bruno Bertucci with Longo's. “Local season was fair, but supply and quality were very good.”

“Asparagus has always been great for Gelson’s and continues to grow annually,” said John Savidan with Gelson's. “For us, green asparagus leads the charge followed by white and purple varieties when available. Our customer base is very particular when it comes to quality and the size they prefer. At Gelson’s we rarely switch from sizing and almost always carry large unless there is a supply issue. In my opinion, asparagus has gained popularity over the last few years and in particular during the pandemic. Asparagus is versatile and serves well whether it’s raw, grilled, steamed, poached, or boiled making it a solid year-round vegetable.”

“Consumer preference and demand is very particular in regards to asparagus,” said Gary Roselli with Foodtown. “Consumers have gravitated more and more to asparagus and Brussels sprouts, and both have seen similar rises in both demand and retail.”

Consumers’ preferences for locally sourced versus frozen has challenged retailers to strike a balance of keeping up with demand for locally sourced produce all yearlong.

“We offer local first, then, when that runs out or is in short supply, we offer new crop and close to home for freshness and consistency,” Bertucci said.

“Unfortunately for us, asparagus has a very small window of being a local item,” Savidan said. “As long as quality and sizing are good, so are our customers. It’s not uncommon for asparagus to be procured from Mexico or Peru, and we most certainly jump on California product when it’s available which is usually a very small window in the spring. From a buying and sourcing perspective, we see asparagus as a seasonal item, but I really don’t believe that our customers do. Regardless of the time of year at Gelson’s our customers can bypass the frozen aisle because they know they can count on getting a great eating, fresh bunch of asparagus each and every time they shop.”

“The good thing about asparagus is we have the ability to source it throughout the year from various locations such as Mexico, Peru, and even right here is New Jersey!” Roselli said. “We tend to focus more on the local aspect in the summer months until that runs out. Unfortunately, it’s not very long due to weather constraints but once the season ends, we start to source from Peru and Mexico. Peru has some of the best asparagus outside of locally grown!”

The asparagus category has its share of misconceptions which suppliers are addressing through education and humor to engage retailers and end customers in a dialogue that can result in exploration and sales.

“We see untapped potential where there’s a lot of customers who haven’t necessarily eaten asparagus before,” said Chris Ramirez, President of Altar Produce. “What we do to really promote it is to make sure we dial in on those time periods when we know there is a lot of asparagus going on and we can make it very accessible for everybody. It’s important to take advantage of those time periods. If the retailer wants to increase their demand, they need to also take advantage of those time periods. If the retailer decides not to promote and just to sit on the pricing, it won’t have the same effect as if you’re promoting. The market and asparagus is so volatile, you need to be able to react and those are the kinds of customers that we enjoy working with, not those that can’t react to the changes in the market conditions. It’s crucial for us to have new customers try the vegetable. When they see a price point that’s attractive to them, it opens the doors to be able to increase your consumer base. But if it’s always sitting on the shelves at the $3.99, chances are people are going to shy away from it. If you see it one week and it’s 98 cents or $1.98 then it’s more appealing and again, there’s specific time periods when we can hit those prices. We need to make sure we’re promoting.”

“Listing everything from: thick asparagus are tough and woody; to asparagus should only be cooked in an asparagus steamer; to asparagus makes your pee smell, there are numerous asparaMYTHS still in circulation,” said Charles Welsh of Welsh Bros. “To demystify them, we as a grower and our retail and foodservice customers employ a variety of myth-busting techniques. These include: branded product hang tags; regular communications on our social streams covering everything from recipes, to storage tips, to asparaHACKS, to extending fridge life due to our proprietary hydro-cooling system; consumer facing branded shipping / display boxes and working with retailers to create eye-catching displays, recipe cards, cross-merchandising and, when appropriate, sampling opportunities. We have and continue to focus on one thing in our efforts to make our mark in the asparagus category—delivering premium fresh produce."