Value Add & Markets
Overview
Once harvested, breadfruit has a short shelf life of three to ten days if refrigerated, less if not. For best quality, fruit should be consumed, frozen or processed within 1 week of harvest.
Demand for the crop varies based on local preferences. In Hawaiʻi, while its prominence as a dietary staple fell sharply with colonization, there is now renewed interest due largely to its potential for increasing food security and self sufficiency – a top state goal. Major markets include fresh and frozen fruit, as well as value added products such as hummus and flour. The best export market potential is for flour thanks to the dried, shelf stable form which supports long distance shipping and is relatively higher value density compared to other products.
Notably, breadfruit has tremendous commercial potential due to its unparalleled culinary versatility: it can be pickled when very young, cooked green like a starchy vegetable when semi-immature, closely resembles a potato when fully mature, or eaten as a sweet dessert when ripe.
Shelf Life
- Mature, firm fruit will last for 1 week in refrigeration; at a minimum temp of 54 deg F to avoid damage
- Wrapping each fruit in plastic will extend shelf life up to 3 weeks in refrigeration
- Fully ripe, soft fruit will last for 3 days in refrigeration
Markets
- Hawaiʻi price points for fresh breadfruit:
- Retail: $1.69/lb starting retail price on Hawai’i Island; $4/lb on O’ahu is more typical with some prices as high $6-8/lb in certain, higher-end grocery stores.
- Farm Gate Price: $1.49/lb average farm gate price according to USDA’s 2020 Hawaiʻi Tropical Fruit and Crop Report; farm gate prices on Hawai’i Island range from 50 cents to $1.25 per pound, and those on O’ahu are generally $1.50-3/lb for commercial growers and as low as 80 cents/lb for backyard growers looking to offload fruit during peak season.
- Wholesale: HUC FY22 member purchase pricing was $1 for Grade A, $.75 for Grade B; generally farmers can expect about 90% Grade A and 10% Grade B fruit.
- Value added price points:
- Frozen, wholesale: $3.85-4.20/lb
- Frozen, retail: $4.50-7/lb
- Hummus, retail: $4-8/lb
- Breadfruit chips, retail: $7/3.5oz
- Breadfruit flour, retail: $15-25/lb
- It is conceivable that breadfruit could replace a significant percentage of the approximately 25 million lbs of white potato imported to Hawaii yearly. The 10.65 billion calories in this quantity of potatoes could be supplied by 1,000-1,600 acres of breadfruit orchards, or around 85,000 total trees.
- We should note here that growers should select cultivars for their planned markets. Otea is large and good for processing, whereas Ma’afala often produces smaller fruit, especially during droughts or given inadequate management.
