Strawberry is the king of berries but botanically it is not actually a berry at all, rather an aggregate accessory fruit. The yellow achenes on the surface of a strawberry are the fruit but are usually confused as only being seeds. The red flesh is an accessory fruit to provide the achenes with nutrients. Strawberries’ typical characteristics are their distinctive aroma and flavour, their bright red colour, juicy texture, and their sweetness. The now well-known garden strawberry was first grown in France in the 1750s via a hybridisation of wild strawberry from eastern North American and the wild Chilean strawberry. Today there are hundreds of varieties and considerations for cultivars are yield, disease tolerance, growing environment (latitude), winter tolerance, and time of ripening.

The firmer cultivars lend themselves well to the fresh market as they can be transported. However, in Asia a more delicate skin is preferred for a softer melt-in-mouth texture. These softer fruits have less fresh shipping potential but are well suited for freezing, drying, and fruit preparations.

As of 2018, China’s annual strawberry production is 3.72 million tonnes (40% of world production), the US 1.45m tonnes, Mexico 653,640 tonnes, Turkey 441,000 tonnes, and Spain 345,000 tonnes. We apply our expertise to source the strawberries that are best suited for your application at competitive prices. Our supply from both Northern and Southern hemispheres guarantees year round availability.