Okra

Commodity Overview

Okra’s popularity continues to rise and more consumers are being drawn to this staple of Southern cooking. Use its rising popularity to boost your sales. However, okra does not keep well, so only bring in what you will sell in a day.

PLUs

4655 regular (green)

Varieties

Green Okra

Red Okra

Retail Price Data is based on USDA Specialty Crops Market News surveys. Data collection ends on the report date and encompasses ad pricing good from the Saturday before the report release date through the following Friday. Weekly data - from over 400 retailers, comprising more than 30,000 individual stores with online weekly advertised features - covers over 250 produce items. Registered (logged-in) users, can access weekly reports and additional market information.

USDA Specialty Crops Market News publishes FOB and Movement data on a daily and weekly basis. Pricing and volume information is aggregated by commodity and published weekly, subject to any source-data adjustments. Commodity data is further processed based on origin (domestic vs imports) and type (regular vs. organic). Registered (logged-in) users, can access weekly reports and additional market information.

Facts

Okra offers up some little-known health benefits. It contains magnesium, which can help prevent osteoporosis. Okra is a good source of folate, which helps prevent neural tube birth defects. It contains vitamin A, which helps keep eyes healthy. Okra also contains thiamin, which is important for brain function.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the following nutrient content descriptors for okra: fat-free, saturated fat-free, very low sodium, cholesterol-free, low in calories, a good source of vitamin A, a good source of folate, a good source of thiamin, and a good source of magnesium.

Sales Strategies

Okra is rarely eaten without being cooked in something so cross-merchandise it with bread crumbs, vegetable oil, pickling spices and canning jars.
Okra is available year-round, but its peak season is in the summer. Offer promotions to keep okra moving throughout the year.
Fall: Include okra in soup displays as it adds a distinct flavor to soups and stews. Include okra in canning promotions.
Winter: Promote fried okra as a hearty side dish for wintertime meals.
Spring: Okra shines during Mardi Gras, so be sure to have it on hand as it is a main ingredient in gumbo. Create a Mardi Gras themed-display that includes okra.
Summer: Okra has traditionally been a part of summertime meals in the South. Use this time of year to introduce it to new consumers.

Dynamic Displays

Okra does not keep well. Only bring in what you will sell in a day.
Offer consumers options by offering both bulk and packaged okra. Keep packages to a pound or less as a little okra goes a long way.
Display okra with other traditional Southern items like kale and other greens.
Encourage consumers to try okra by using signs to educate them about its uses.

Food Service

Don’t cook okra in iron, copper or brass pans. A chemical reaction occurs that turns the okra pods black.
Okra turns pasty when it is overcooked, so be sure to keep its cooking time to a minimum.
Use okra to create gumbo during Mardi Gras to attract customers wanting to celebrate.
Okra can be added to salads for a unique flavor.
Include okra in soups and stews.
Serve fried okra as a hearty comfort food side dish.

In the Backroom

Shipping
30-lb. bushel baskets/crates/hampers 23-lb. ¾-bushel hampers 18-lb. 5⁄9-bushel crates/flats 15-lb. ½-bushel baskets/crates/lugs RPC – NA

Grades
U.S. No. 1

Handling
Temperature: 43 to 45 F (7.2 to 10 C) Relative humidity: 85-95% Mist: no Typical shelf life: 7 to 10 days Ethylene-sensitive (Do not store or transport ethylene-sensitive items with commodities that produce ethylene.) Highly sensitive to freezing injury. (Likely to suffer injury by one light freezing.) Susceptible to chilling injury (Damage sometimes is not apparent until produce is returned to a higher temperature.) Do not ice or sprinkle product on display. Okra needs careful handling as it deteriorates and bruises easily. Average length of a pod is 1 1⁄2 to 3 inches.

Norfolk Banana Distributors Inc

Overview (2) (0) (2)

Business Type:

Shipper, Importer, Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Norfolk, 23502 Virginia

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Strawberries

Citrus:

Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Oranges

Deciduous Fruit:

Apples

Produce Source Partners Inc

Overview (6) (0) (3)

Business Type:

Shipper, Importer, Wholesaler, Processor

Location HQ:

Ashland, 23005 Virginia

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Strawberries

Citrus:

Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Oranges, Clementines / Mandarins / Tangerines

Homestead Pole Bean Cooperative Inc

Overview (2) (0) (2)

Business Type:

Broker, Exporter, Grower, Shipper, Importer, Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Homestead, 33032 Florida

Citrus:

Limes

Tropical Fruit:

Avocados, Carambola, Mangoes, Papayas

Cooking Vegetables:

Corn, Garlic, Okra, Squash, Summer

Salad Vegetables:

Peppers, Bell

Ecoripe Tropicals Inc

Overview (4) (11) (3)

Business Type:

Importer, Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Medley, 33178 Florida

Tropical Fruit:

Carambola, Coconuts, Mangoes, Papayas, Pineapple

Cooking Vegetables:

Celery Root, Eggplant, Okra, Peppers, Chili

Specialties:

Bitter Melon

W R Hackett Inc

Overview (2) (0) (1)

Business Type:

Broker, Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Springfield, 45504 Ohio

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Strawberries

Citrus:

Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Oranges

Deciduous Fruit:

Apples

Ryan Hershey Enterprises Inc (DBA Penny's Salsa)

Overview (5) (0) (1)

Business Type:

Shipper, Retailer, Wholesaler, Packaging, Processor

Location HQ:

Sumner, 98390 Washington

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Strawberries

Citrus:

Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Oranges, Clementines / Mandarins / Tangerines

Deciduous Fruit:

Apples

Akin & Porter Produce Inc

Overview (1) (0) (0)

Business Type:

Broker, Shipper

Location HQ:

Thomasville, 31792 Georgia

Cooking Vegetables:

Eggplant, Okra, Squash, Summer, Squash, Winter, Sweet Potatoes, Green Beans

Salad Vegetables:

Peppers, Bell, Cucumbers

Maglio Companies

Overview (19) (0) (10)

Business Type:

Broker, Shipper, Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Glendale, 53212 Wisconsin

Berries:

Blackberries, Blueberries, Cranberries, Raspberries, Strawberries

Citrus:

Grapefruit, Lemons, Limes, Oranges, Clementines / Mandarins / Tangerines

Hopkins Farms

Overview (4) (0) (0)

Business Type:

Broker, Grower, Shipper

Location HQ:

Cairo, 31728 Georgia

Cooking Vegetables:

Cabbage, Eggplant, Kale, Okra, Peas, Squash, Summer, Squash, Winter, Turnips

Salad Vegetables:

Peppers, Bell, Tomatoes

Marks Melon Patch

Overview (2) (0) (0)

Business Type:

Grower, Wholesaler

Location HQ:

Dawson, 39842 Georgia

Berries:

Blueberries, Strawberries

Deciduous Fruit:

Grapes

Melons:

Cantaloupe, Watermelon

Stone Fruit:

Peaches

Cooking Vegetables:

Corn, Okra, Pumpkins

Salad Vegetables:

Tomatoes

Okra

Okra

Commodity Overview

PLUs

Varieties

Facts

Sales Strategies

Dynamic Displays

Food Service

In the Backroom

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