BLOG: HARVEST REVIEW 2018

While 2018’s surprisingly hot summer was welcomed by sunseekers across Europe, the heatwave also had its drawbacks – from wildfires to droughts – so naturally, there has been a lot of interest in the effects on this season’s harvest.

In Poland, the warm weather saw crops come in approximately two weeks earlier than expected. Strawberries had a relatively good season and there was an abundance of raspberries in 2018 compared to previous years – however, a lack of pickers meant some raspberries was left unpicked. Similarly with blackcurrants, a large volume of fruit were left in the fields. After a difficult 2017, the sour cherry crop recovered well this year and the blueberry season panned out as expected.

Serbia saw heavy rain and hailstorms at the beginning of the summer, which had an impact on quality and the brix of berries in the region. However, the volume remains comparable to that of the last two years – strengthened by crops from the neighbouring Balkan countries. Similarly, poor weather in early spring meant the initial strawberry production in Spain was slightly reduced, although this recovered later on in the season.

The impact of the high temperatures remains to be seen on vegetable crops, but initial data on the carrot harvest indicates numbers will be as expected. As other root and leafy vegetables come in over the coming weeks, SVZ will keep you updated on new developments.

Despite labour shortages, droughts and other challenging circumstances, SVZ is dedicated to delivering premium, sustainably-sourced fruit and vegetable ingredients and we continue to work closely with our growers to meet this goal.