Berries

Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist

SAINT-SIMÉON – Gaspé strawberries are now available on grocery store shelves in Bay of Chaleur and the Chandler area.

“The season has started. We’ve had strawberries in the store for a few days now, and it’s a start. The season has started. We still have flowers in the fields with the later strawberries. There’s an abundance right now,” says Pierre Bourdages, co-owner of Ferme Bourdages Tradition in Saint-Siméon.

And the beginning of the season promises a good harvest for 2025.

“It should be a good season despite the late start, with the excess water and cool weather. The heat is now here. The rain caused a bit of a delay,” notes the farmer.

“We’re supplying the markets. We’re starting on the south side: Chandler, Carleton. We’re moving forward gradually. We don’t have large volumes at the moment. You’ll see strawberries in your grocery stores in the next few days,” says Mr Bourdages.

Consumers in Gaspé will therefore have to wait a few more days before they can enjoy this purely Gaspé product.

The increase in the minimum wage and the rise in input costs such as transportation are affecting the cost of strawberries.

“The price is jumping because we have no choice,” says Mr. Bourdages.

However, it is still possible to find cheap strawberries in large chains, with consumers seeing prices as low as $2.50 for a one-litre basket.

“It’s a loss leader. Retailers will set aggressive prices to attract customers by selling at a loss,” he notes.

In Ontario, during the week of June 25, a basket sold for $6.

Strawberries from Île d’Orléans have been sweet and juicy so far this year.

Those from the Gaspé Peninsula should follow the same trend.

“They will be excellent. We mustn’t forget that we have different varieties, but the temperature, climate, heat, and sun make all the difference in the final taste. It helps a lot with the sugar in the strawberries,” he explains.

With the sun and heat of the last few days, the fruit should taste great.

Ferme Bourdages Tradition has about 120 workers in the fields picking. Of these, one-third are from Mexico.

“We have about ten who were expected on July 2, and about twenty the following week. We’re going with the arrival of the fruit in the field. As it ripens, we’ll need workers. In total, we’ll have 44 foreign workers,” says Mr. Bourdages.