Harold Edwards: Thank you, Raj.
Mark Palamountain: Thank you, Raj.
Operator: The next question comes from Ben Klieve from Lake Street Capital Markets. Please go ahead.
Ben Klieve: Thanks for taking my questions. Just a couple for me. First of all, on the avocado side, I want to make sure I understand kind of the strategy and the timing here. The weather caused delays of harvesting in the first quarter. And Harold, your comments earlier suggested that you’d kind of maybe intentionally delayed harvest kind of in February, at least through February, because of kind of pricing conditions. So first of all, is that accurate that you could have harvested avocados so far in the second quarter, but you’ve kind of chosen not to strategically?
Harold Edwards: Yes, that’s exactly right. We could have harvested. There’s fruit that is harvestable right now, but the markets have been — I don’t know if you’re following the markets, but they’ve been pretty soft. And they’re just starting to improve now. And when you layer on the benefits of the rain, which is sizing the fruit faster, we actually find ourselves in pretty good shape to start our harvest beginning next week.
Ben Klieve: Okay, great. That’s helpful. Yes, I have been following that market and the grind, and I think I’ve also been watching the same weather reports that Eric has. And so I’ve been concerned about that. But that’s good to see that how you guys are navigating that. And then my other question is, it looks like you’ve got a pretty impressive gain in market share this year so far, and I’m wondering if you can comment on a high level about the correlation between lemon prices and your ability to take share? When prices here are down in this just kind of dreary $17, $18 range, are you able to get these relationships developed with farmers faster than if you’re in $20, $22 range?
Harold Edwards: So part of gaining share is gaining supply first. So we’re really having a lot of success with that, with our grower services team, our very high fresh utilization rates, and then our very competitive returns going back to growers. So as a result, we really made huge progress in our ability to access new supply. And then with that supply, then it allows us to go into the marketplace at food service and retail and be much more competitive with reliable levels of supply. And so I think the combination of those two things is what’s driving our growth and allowing us to pick up share. You may recall when we first started kind of talking about the business together, we always sort of as a placeholder suggested that food service represented 70% of our market opportunity and retail was 30%.
There was sort of a structural change in the marketplace driven by COVID that really hasn’t changed that much since we’ve all returned back to normal life. But I’d say the actual demand is from a consumer perspective is probably 50-50 now, 50% food service and 50% retail. And so our biggest pickups in gains have been at the retail level. And so that’s the battlefield for us right now. And we’re really honing in on new big retail accounts. And as you go out to your local market, you’ll have a much better chance of finding Limoneira stickered lemons in those supermarkets now because of this new approach and really where we’re focusing.
Ben Klieve: Got it, very helpful. Okay. Thanks for taking my questions. I’ll get back in line.
Harold Edwards: Thanks, Ben.
Mark Palamountain: Thanks, Ben.
Operator: . The next question comes from Vincent Anderson from Stifel. Please go ahead.
Vincent Anderson: Thanks. Good afternoon.
Harold Edwards: Hi, Vince.
