Savor Summer Sweet Corn

Promotion and quality are the key to sweet corn sales.

Sweet corn is one of the delights of summer. Today, thanks to newer varieties, transportation and distribution systems with grower partnerships, quality sweet corn can be enjoyed earlier in the season and is not limited to summer.

Plus, suppliers continue to package sweet corn with an eye toward greater convenience, as well as assurances to maintain quality.

AVAILABILITY WIDESPREAD

Regional suppliers have networks of growers and distributors who, in turn, have associates who supply a wider area. For instance, Sunshine Sweet Corn Farmers of Florida, Maitland, FL, includes over a dozen grower companies, as well as handler companies.

Stewart Mann, vice president/general manager, Pioneer Growers Cooperative Inc., Belle Glade, FL, says they are shipping all over the world, “with our corn hitting the shelf in every state in the U.S., Canada, the Caribbean, and throughout Europe.”

“We are a year-round producer of sweet corn with growing regions in Florida, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, Virginia, New York and Honduras. While we have product 12 months of the year, we see peak production April 1 through Oct. 1.”

Christina Morton, director of communications at Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association, on behalf of Sunshine Sweet Corn Farmers of Florida, reports Florida sweet corn quality “is excellent this season due, in part, to factors such as favorable weather.”

We have seen that once a consumer sees sweet corn that does not have a green and healthy-looking husk, they will skip over the buying opportunity entirely, and we may not get them back.

Christina Morton, Sunshine Sweet Corn Farmers of Florida,

At Twin Garden Sales, Harvard, IL, its network of growers allows for year-round supplies, according to Joel Hayes, president. “Here in South Florida, we’ll be shipping throughout May, and will have plenty on the Fourth of July. In mid-May, Georgia will be shipping.”

Cal-Organic Farms’ organic sweet corn is grown in the Southern California desert in Coachella and Thermal, as well as in Bakersfield, and is available May through June, supporting Memorial Day and July Fourth celebrations.

“Our corn ships from Lamont, CA, and can be consolidated on trucks with our full line of carrots, potato and vegetable items,” says David Bright, vice president of marketing, Cal-Organic Farms, Bakersfield, CA.

Nardelli Bros, Inc.-Lake View Farms, Cedarville, NJ., ships and tray packs corn year-round. “Our New Jersey harvest begins in late June, early July, and continues through late October before we transition to Georgia and Florida for the winter months and spring season,” says Bill Nardelli Jr., vice president of sales. At the New Jersey farm, Nardelli offers overnight shipping to many major cities.

PACKAGING VARIES

Hayes says packaging often depends on retailers. “I have one grower who provides only trade packs. He goes to the largest chain stores. The size varies with the store — four mostly, five for some, and eight for the club stores.”

Bulk purchases of Florida sweet corn still represent the majority of volume, says Morton, but the popularity of tray-pack sweet corn continues to increase.

Hilary Long, vice president of sales and marketing, Frey Farms, Keenes, IL, points out shoppers want convenience and value. “Consumers are willing to pay more for the husks to be removed.”

The sweetness and quality of all three varieties is directly related to the timing of planting, harvesting, shipping and maintaining a cool temperature.

Hilary Long, Frey Farms, Keenes, IL

Frey Farms grows bicolor sweet corn in Bascom, FL, and will begin harvesting mid-May.

Nardelli has a good ratio between tray-pack sales and bulk corn sales, but says it can fluctuate depending on how the customer is marketing the corn. “As the weather warms up around the country, many retailers will offer bulk displays of corn to promote fresh harvested product, while still promoting and offering tray-pack options, as well for customer convenience.”

Pioneer Growers distributes in tray packs, bagged and bulk, depending on the customer’s needs, and also offer mini cob options. “The ways to eat sweet corn are endless,” says Mann. “The old favorites of grilling and boiling in the summer will always be a staple, but we offer microwave bags that are delicious and quick for the family on the go.”

Mann says Pioneer’s new elote (street corn) seasoning, found inside the tray pack, has been popular across all ages.

QUALITY STIMULATES DEMAND

Sunshine Sweet Corn Farmers of Florida’s Morton notes that sweet corn movement did well last year, and there are some increases in retailers seeking out corn to tray pack, “so the quality of corn is continuing to meet retailer standards.”

Mann says over the past five years, they have seen “a large growth in the amount of sweet corn moving to our customers and recently started to get requests for a bit more organic.”

Morton observes when retailers run ads that have multiples of sweet corn and a comfortable price point, the consumer is going to pick up those multiple ears of corn instead of just one. “We also see that sweet corn might not necessarily be on a shopper’s grocery list every trip, but if the corn looks good and is priced right, they will buy it. When shoppers see it in the store, it’s tough not to buy Florida sweet corn when the quality is as good as it is.”

Corn varieties destined for shipping have been characterized as having supersweet genes. The University of Florida’s breeding program has increased sugar content and a creamier corn taste by using a combination of genes.

Barry Rupp, sales manager of Rupp Seeds, Wauseon, OH, notes sweet corn breeders have done “an excellent job in improving eating quality and disease resistance.”

Wes Houghton, Seedway, Hall, NY, sweet corn and snap bean product manager, agrees. “Breeders have improved the quality of supersweets. In the last few years, they are more tender.”

HANDLING AND PROMOTION

Sweet corn sold in the husk looks best when it is handled with care, including being refrigerated and kept at a consistent moisture level, recommends Morton.

“We have seen that once a consumer sees sweet corn that does not have a green and healthy-looking husk, they will skip over the buying opportunity entirely, and we may not get them back.”

Keeping the husks looking green and healthy is achieved by storing it between 33 and 36 degrees Fahrenheit, keeping it at an ideal moisture level of 95%, keeping in a cooler on the retail floor or rotating it in and out of coolers for overnight storage, she advises.

Twin Gardens Sales’ Hayes also recommends consumers to keep it cold after buying. “Get the corn to the refrigerator in the house as soon as possible for the best flavor, vitamins, and eating experience.”

The three types of sweet corn: bicolor, white and yellow have a similar sweetness and texture, while bicolor corn has more complexity due to the combination of colors, says Frey Farms’ Long.

“Sweet corn has an optimal sweetness stage, and it’s a short three-day window. We plant and harvest sweet corn more frequently based on this timeline, ensuring our corn moves quickly from the fields to our hydrocooler, and with very little time or heat exposure to retail distribution centers,” she says.

LOOSE AND TRAY PACK

Adam Meier, produce manager, Cedar Rapids, IA, Fareway store, displays sweet corn in response to sales potential. When promoting for an event, summer holiday, or when the quality is especially appealing, the sweet corn is displayed at the first table in the produce section.

“The customers look for the color, kernel size, well-developed ears and whether it looks juicy. That’s important to them.”

Local corn arrives in July, and Meier displays it loose and in store-trimmed, five-count tray packs. The store stocks corn year-round, but he says in the winter, it is not displayed as prominently. The store’s weekly flyer also illustrates their store-made fresh sweet corn salsa.

Family-owned Fareway, Johnston, IA, has 140 stores in seven Midwest states.

At the Champaign, IL, Niemanns store, Produce Manager Jeremy Williams reports customers buy sweet corn all year, “but it is more popular in the summer.”

The store assembles tray packs of five ears, but bulk is available, as well. In the summer, Florida is the supplier, but in the off-season, the corn is shipped from Mexico. Niemann Foods, Inc., Quincy, IL., has over 100 stores in six Midwest states.