(FORT VALLEY, GEORGIA) – The 2021 Georgia peach season anticipates a full, consistent, healthy crop due to the lengthy, cold winter the country has been experiencing. Peach growing areas of Georgia have logged over 1,000 chill hours, more than 300 hours above the average of 700 hours annually. This year’s cold weather has provided the foundation for uniform blooms in all varieties throughout Georgia peach season, anticipated to kick off in mid-May and last through mid-August.
“With over 1,000 hours of chill, we’re excited about what that means for the length and fullness of this year’s crop,” notes Duke Lane III, partner at Genuine Georgia. “While we still have to see what the next 15 days brings, every variety, early and late, are set up for success with a good bloom set, which is a large part of what it takes to make a good fruit.”
With season start kicking off mid-May, Georgia’s iconic summer fruit expects to have enough volume to consistently supply its partners over the coveted 15-week availability period of sweet Georgia peaches.
“Our peaches have dealt with historically warm winters for the last five years. We’re looking forward to seeing them at their best. Just like us, our peach trees are their most productive, happy and full when they get enough good rest,” says Will McGehee, partner with Genuine Georgia.
The Genuine Georgia Group expects to pack nearly 3 million boxes of peaches for its retail partners this season. Offering convenient Grab-and-Go 2-pound bags as well as fresh peaches packaged bulk by the pound (volume-filled or tray pack), there’s a compelling opportunity for each retail partner to provide options for their customers.
“Everyone in the country is looking forward to Summer this year. The sweet, healthy unmatched flavor of a juicy Georgia peach can help bring back a taste of familiar comfort to consumers nationwide,” adds McGehee.
Sweet Georgia peaches are a nutritional powerhouse of health. A medium peach packs more than 20 different macro and micronutrients, including fiber, vitamins A, C, E, potassium and zinc. They are also naturally free of fat, sodium, cholesterol, gluten and trans fats. The orange-yellow hue of peaches is a cue that they’re an excellent source of beta-carotene, an important antioxidant that’s converted to vitamin A. In fact, a medium peach (1 cup slices) has about 500 IU of vitamin, equal to about 10% of the Daily Value for this nutrient. Vitamin A is an essential nutrient for optimal growth, bone health and vision.
2021 Genuine Georgia partners can look forward to customized marketing support programs featuring everything from Digital ad programs, social media support campaigns, dietitian toolkit, recipe library, community hero giveaways, and online or in-store POS materials and signage.
For more information about the Genuine Georgia Group or to partner for the 2021 season, send a note to duke@genuinega.com or will@genuinega.com
