Ocean Mist expects strong spring artichoke season

Despite California’s rain storms and saturation of fields, Ocean Mist Farms is expecting a favorable 2023 spring crop of artichokes from their northern California growing region in Castroville, California.

“The storms that devastated parts of California during the winter months put the season behind about 4 weeks,” Ben Wilson, Ocean Mist’s artichoke commodity manager, said in a news release. “That being said, we have recovered nicely, and are seeing outstanding quality artichokes focused primarily on large sizes – jumbos/12-count(s).”

The Castroville-based Ocean Mist is one of the leading year-round growers of fresh California artichokes.

“We are excited to see the way our spring crop has lined up this year across our entire family of artichoke offerings,” Wilson said in the release. “We are expecting excellent quality and plentiful volumes of both our conventional and organic green artichokes, as well as our proprietary and sought-after purple artichoke variety.”

Spring should bode well for artichoke production, Mark Munger, senior director of marketing, said in the release.

“Our spring crop peak is an excellent opportunity for our customers,” he said in the release. “Our research shows that when retailers create displays with a variety of packs, products, and colors, it generates excitement with consumers resulting in increased sales.”

Ocean Mist is sponsoring a “Gold Standard” promotion, a national consumer sweepstakes designed to prime consumers and make them excited about the spring artichoke season, according to the release.

PHOTO ABOVE: Despite California’s wicked winter and early spring weather, Ocean Mist is expecting a favorable 2023 spring crop of artichokes.