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Weekly Market Review
June 25, 2015
Market Alert

 

  • Cucumbers
  • Fennel
  • Garlic-Peeled
  • Lemons
  • Peppers, Bell (Green, Red)
  • Peppers, Red Fresno
  • Raspberries
  • Transportation 
  • Watermelon
Overview

Supplies are lighter this week on Romaine and Romaine Hearts, and supplies are average on both Green and Red leaf lettuce, also Iceberg.  Broccoli and Cauliflower supplies are steady this week.  The Lemon market remains very tight, and we are seeing very few 140's and larger.  The asparagus market remains steady.  Supplies on all herbs are steady.  The Berry market remains strong, and supplies are tight.  The fennel market remains tight, and prices are high.  We are hoping for an improvement soon.  Garlic continues to remain tight.   

 
Transportation

 Truck availability has been adequate early in the week; demand is expected to increase as the week progresses, in anticipation of July 4th selling.  Freight rates will trend higher.

Weather

Gradual warming of 3-5 degrees from the upper 30s and 40s is expected for Salinas, continuing through the weekend as a marine layer envelops the coast.  Afternoon thunderstorms will continue through the weekend in the higher elevations of Central Mexico, with temperatures in the upper 70's.  Northern Mainland Mexico will see clear skies, with highs in the mid 100's, while coastal districts in Northern Baja California will continue with moderate conditions, with highs in the 70's.  

Fruits and Vegetables
Avocados

California season will struggle to get in to August.  There are four more weeks of Mexican old crop avocados before the start of off bloom season.      

   
 

 

Bananas

Prices and quality are back to normal.

Berries

Blueberries:  Georgia, North Carolina and California are starting to wind down, but Munger Delta production still has plenty of fruit to move.  

 

 

 


Blackberries:  Blackberries will continue to be tight this week.  North Carolina almost tripled their estimate over the weekend; fruit being transferred to Manfredi. California supply continues to slowly increase, but won't see any significant volume ramp up until late summer.  


Raspberries:  Due to an early start date in March (one month early) and current pruning cycle, we will be in a demand exceeds situation for at least the next four weeks, if not longer.  There is a temporary interruption due to a gap in varietal shifts.  The cool weather in May and June delayed the volume expected.  Shippers are unable to fill orders in full; this shortage will continue through July.   

Strawberries: California remains tight this week in Watsonville/Castroville/Salinas for fresh production.  A few warm days are expected into the high 70s/possibly low80s, with mostly mid 70s overall.  Even with warmer weather, strawberries will still be tight all week.    Varieties in the North remain the same; mostly producing Monterey, with some Albion and San Andreas.  
California-Arizona Citrus

Grapefruit: 

There is little demand for grapefruit.  Supplies on red are good.  There are some whites available in Riverside.  

 


Lemons:  Mexican lemons are being picked and in sweat rooms waiting for color.  Some early supplies are available in McAllen.  We expect some volume by second week in July.



Limes (Persian):  Good supplies, and pricing is steady. 

Navel Oranges:  Bee Sweet will finish next week, and Sunkist has finished.
 
Valencia Oranges: Supplies exceed demand.  Dealing on 138s and smaller.


Texas/Florida Citrus:  There are few Mexican Valencia's in Texas and little remaining in Florida.  

Pineapple:   Good supplies available.  

Specialty Citrus Items:  

Navels and clementine's are on the East Coast. 


California Lettuce

Green and Red Leaf:  :  Supplies are steady and quality is good. 

Iceberg Lettuce:  Supplies will be average this week with a higher than average amount of 30's.  Quality is generally good although we are seeing some insect damage and Sclerotinia in almost all lots. Prices should continue to be steady this week with 4th of July demand pulling this week. 
 

Romaine: Similar to last week, Romaine will be very light this week. Cartons are expected to be 38-39 lbs. with each head at 11-12" long.  There is still some light fringe burn on some heads but most are clean this week. 


Romaine Hearts:   Overall supplies will be light this week. The lighter supplies are due to a both weather and yields.  Crews are trimming the product as best as possible so that they can minimize the fringe burn that gets into the final pack.  There is a � cupping of the heart.  The heart still has a good ratio of bleach to green. Overall quality is good.
Eastern and Western Vegetables

Green and Red Bell Peppers:  Supplies are tightening for green bell peppers in the East and West, and prices are accelerating to the upside.  Hot weather conditions, accompanied by rainfall, have combined to reduce production volume in Georgia and the Carolinas.  The harvest transition in California from the Southern San Joaquin Valley to the coastal districts of Southern and Central California will soon be underway.  The market in the West has become very active.  A formerly high-volume grower-shipper located in the Westside district has removed bell peppers from their product lineup due to drought conditions.  The red bell pepper harvest is in transition from the Coachella Valley to the San Joaquin Valley; tight availability, fair quality and high prices will be in effect through early July.

  

 

 


Cucumbers:   Production has slowed in the West, with fair quality and tight availability for cucumbers coming from Baja California.  The season is winding down in Georgia and moving next to the Carolinas; availability is steady in the East.

  

 


English Cucumber:   Hothouse production from growers in British Columbia and Ontario are now primary sources; also California with good availability.

Green Beans: Steady production in Georgia and North Carolina.  Adequate supplies in California at comparatively higher prices.


Zucchini & Yellow Squash:  Plentiful supplies of zucchini in Georgia and North Carolina; good availability in California and from Baja California.  Yellow squash is available, but not as plentiful in the East and West.  Michigan has started with zucchini.

Acorn, Butternut, Spaghetti:  Good availability for acorn and butternut from California.
Grapes


 

Nogales and Coachella are winding down although there are still a handful of all varieties available in both of these areas.  San Joaquin Valley has started with light supplies, but look for volume to improve.  Quality is improving.

 

 

Herbs

 

The supply of fresh herbs are doing well.  Growing conditions have been very favorable for almost all of the fresh herbs. The only exception is Fresh Tarragon; affected by the heat last week and supplies will be a little tight for the next two weeks.  Quality will be fine, but the yields will be off as a few leaves will need to be trimmed off.

 

HERBS
SUPPLIES
QUALITY
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
Arugula
Steady
Good
USA
Basil
Steady
Good
USA/MEXICO
Opal Basil
Steady
Good
USA/MEXICO
Thai Basil
Steady
Fair
MEXICO
Bay Leaves
Steady
Good
COLUMBIA
Chervil
Steady
Good
USA
Chives
Steady
Good
USA/MEXICO
Cilantro
Steady
Good
USA
Dill
Steady
Good
USA
Epazote
Steady
Good
MEXICO
Lemongrass
Steady
Good
USA
Marjoram
Steady
Good
USA
Mint
Steady
Good
USA
Oregano
Steady
Good
USA
Italian Parsley
Steady
Good
USA
Rosemary
Steady
Good
USA
Sage
Steady
Good
USA/MEXICO
Savory
Steady
Good
USA
Sorrel
Steady
Good
USA
Tarragon
Lighter
Good
USA/MEXICO
Thyme
Steady
Good
USA
Lemon Thyme
Steady
Good
USA
Lavender
Steady
Good
USA
Lime Leaves
Steady
Good
USA
Hojasanta
Steady
Good
USA
Mangos and Melons

Mangos:   Quality is very good now, and all coming out of Mexico and loading in Hidalgo, TX and Nogales AZ.  Sizes will be trending more on the larger size with smaller fruit, 10ct and up, a little shorter.  Supplies and quality are good with steady pricing.


 

Melons:   The cantaloupe market is still in a "demand exceeds supply" situation. The excessive heat has pushed fruit to harvest sooner than projected, not allowing fruit to size up.  9's and 12's are extremely light in volume with the majority of the volume packed being 15's and 18's.  Same type of situation with Honeydew's with sizing being light on larger fruit  California is getting started, but volume is not expected for another 10 days to 2 weeks.

 

Watermelons

With 4th of July upon us, the Watermelon market is "DEMAND EXCEEDS SUPPLY" and will continue that way into next week.  Quality out of all areas is very nice.

 

 

Mixed Vegetables

Artichokes:  Volume has increased.  Packing mostly 12's and 18's.  Quality is good.  Prices are a little lower on the larger sizes.  Volume is expected to be good for several weeks, so ad pricing is available.     

Arugula:  Supplies of both baby and wild arugula are good and readily available.  Quality is good.   

Asparagus:  Market remains steady.  Peru and Mexico have steady supplies although larger sizes remain tight.  Expect jumbos to remain tight through the middle of July.  Quality is good.     


Bok Choy:  Quality is good, and supplies are plentiful.  

Broccoli: With the warmer weather over the last two weeks broccoli supplies are up.  Quality is nice with good, green color, even bead size and uniform dome shape. 


Carrots:  Availability is good for jumbo carrots in California.  Quality is good. 

Cauliflower:  Cauliflower supplies will be average this week.  The majority of sizes available will be 12 ct. and 9 ct.  Quality remains strong overall.

Celery:   Above average supplies this week; light demand and low markets have contributed to this.  Quality is excellent; very large and meaty shanks, dark green color and 62-63 lbs. weights.  Sizing is leaning toward the larger side. 

Fennel/Anise:    Very lightsupplies continue this week and next week, and will continue to operate on allocated numbers; currently, 12 days ahead of schedule.  Supplies will be predominately 24's, 30's and 36's throughout the week with 18 size limited. As a result there will have to be some flexibility on sizes. The field is still battling some pith/minor bulb discoloration but the crews are taking extra steps while harvesting to make sure these issues do not make it into the box. Expect the market to remain very active through next week.

Garlic:  No changes...poor domestic growing conditions and decreased Chinese product availability are negatively impacting supply and price again.  Though we have seen some slight relief over the past month, Chinese ports will once again be closed until further notice.  Ongoing drought and limited acreage in Southern California will also reduce availability and increase cost for domestic supply.  We will provide notification as soon as relief is to be expected.                                                             

Ginger:  The ginger market has improved, prices are moderate and will continue to be moderate.

Green Cabbage:  Green cabbage supplies are above average. Market is steady. Quality is very nice with large head size and heavy at 50+ lbs. weights in most cartons. 

  



Green Onions:   Market remains depressed on iced due to good supplies still crossing daily from Mexico.  This should not change until supplies from Mexico drop.  Also location production in Quebec, Ohio and Michigan are scheduled to start late next week regionally.  For iceless, we are seeing steady to lighter demand with pricing remaining unchanged this week.  Steady supplies from Mexico will keep iceless market at current pricing levels.  


Kale (Green):   Kale supplies are excellent and will remain so for the next several weeks.   Quality and appearance continues to be very nice with bunches are averaging 12-14" in length with dark green color.      

Mache:  Adequate availability.
Napa:  Quality is good, and supplies are plentiful. 


Parsley (Curly, Italian):  Plentiful supplies on both curly and Italian parsley this week.  Overall appearance is very nice.    
 


Red Cabbage:  Quality has been very nice with good dark color and very dense and heavy heads.  

Snow and Sugar Snap Peas:  Snow peas and sugar snaps are still in a strong market. (Peru, Mexico, and California). Prices remain in the highs for both. Quality is good.

Spinach (baby):  There are very good supplies of baby spinach and clipped spinach.  Quality is good with some yellowing, half leaves and occasional oversizing.          

Spinach (bunched):   We are expecting steady supplies for the next 2-3 weeks. Bunches are full and dark green in color. The overall market continues to see downward pressure.

Spring Mix:  Spring mix supplies are very good.  Produce quality is good although showing slight quality issues of yellowing.   
Onions

Large quantities of Jumbo's, Colossals and Supers are being offered as of this time.  High temps in California and New Mexico are causing growers to push out their supplies while the quality is good, and pricing is high. 

 

 

 

Potatoes (Idaho)


 

FOB's on larger sizes are softening.  Many sheds looking to move 40ct through 70ct most likely because of the huge pricing difference between larger and smaller sizes.  Washington is probably having an effect on the Idaho FOB's.  Pricing on larger sizes from Washington have dropped significantly this week.  We suggest buyers stay light on the larger sizes until the situation stabilizes.  

 

 

Tomatoes

  

Round, Roma, Plum, and Grape:  The market has stabilized on Roma's and rounds. Florida is finished.  Good supplies available off of the west coast and out of South Carolina.  Grape tomatoes are readily available out of the west (Baja).  Quality is excellent. 


Tree Fruit

Not much has changed with Tree Fruit.  Between the heat and the volume there continues to be excellent buying opportunities to promote tree fruit at the BEST delivered prices of the year.  The sizes of Yellow Peaches and Yellow Nectarines are peaking on larger sizes as well, although volume on Nectarines is down slightly.  White Peaches and White Nectarines are the best quality and sweetness of the season.  Good supplies of Black Plums.

 

 

 

 


Kiwi:  Chile is the main supply area.  California is starting.  Italian is available off the East Coast and will be available on the West Coast in a week.  
Washington Apples and Pears

Demand is fair, and supplies are good on reds, adequate on other varieties.  Great buying opportunities on apples, especially 88s larger and red delicious of any grade.   Small size reds are a little easier to obtain as schools are nearing the end of session and buyers are scaling back.  Lower grades on Granny Smith are harder to find. Overall quality remains exceptional. Some growers are winding down on Honeycrisp, Pink Ladys, & Cameos.  Pears (especially 110x and smaller) continue to exceed supply.  Supplies are tight, mostly on fancy grade, and crop is running heavy to U.S. #1, peaking 90s and larger; nearing the end of the season. Cherry demand is quite strong.  Quality is mixed.  Expecting temps to be 100-110 by Sunday.  Darks price range is $36.00-$48.00 while Rainiers is $48.00-$58.00.  Supplies are very tight on 11 row & larger.

 

 

 

COMMODITY
PRICES
EXPECTED PRICE TREND
QUALITY
Avocados



Avocados-California
Moderate
Up
Good
Avocados-Mexican
Moderate
Up
Good
Berries



Blackberries
Moderate
Steady
Good
Blueberries
Moderate
Steady
Good
Raspberries
Moderate
Steady
Good
Strawberries
Moderate
Steady
Good
California-Arizona
Citrus



Grapefruit
Moderate
Steady
Good
Lemons
Moderate
Up
Good
Limes
Moderate
Down
Excellent
Oranges-Navels
Moderate
Steady
Poor
Pineapple
Moderate
Steady
Good
California Lettuce



Green & Red Leaf
Moderate
Steady
Good
Iceberg
Moderate to High
Steady
Good
Romaine
Moderate
Steady
Excellent
Romaine Hearts
Moderate
Down
Excellent
Eastern & Western Vegetables



Cucumbers
Moderate
Up
Fair
Green Beans
Moderate to High
Steady
Good
Green Bell Peppers
Moderate to High
Up
Good
Red Bell Peppers
Moderate
Up
Fair
Yellow Squash
Moderate
Steady
Good
Zucchini
Low to Moderate
Steady
Good
Grape & Tree Fruit



Grapes-Green Seedless
High
Steady
Good
Grapes-Red Seedless
High
Steady
Good
Plums
Moderate
Steady
Good
Melons



Cantaloupes
High
Steady
Good
Honeydew
Moderate
Steady
Good
Mixed Vegetables



Artichokes
Moderate to High
Steady
Good
Arugula
Moderate
Steady
Good
Asparagus
Moderate to High
Up
Good
Bok Choy
Moderate
Steady
Good
Broccoli
Low to Moderate 
Steady
 Good
Carrots
Moderate
Steady
Good
Cauliflower
Low to Moderate
Down
Good
Celery
Low to Moderate
Down
Excellent
Frisee
Moderate
Steady
Good
Fennel/Anise
High
Steady
Good
Garlic, Peeled
Extreme
Steady
Good
Green Cabbage
Low 
Down
Excellent
Green Onions
Low
Steady
Excellent
Kale (Green)
Low 
Steady
Excellent
Mache
Moderate
Steady
Good
Napa
High
Steady
Good
Parsley (Curly, Italian)
Moderate
Steady
Excellent
Red Cabbage
Moderate
Steady
Excellent
Snow & Sugar Snap Peas
High
Steady
Poor to Fair
Spinach (Baby)
Low
Down
Good
Spinach (Bunched)
Low
Down
Good
Spring Mix
Moderate
Steady
Good
Onions



Red
Moderate
Steady
Good
White
Moderate
Steady
Good
Yellow
Moderate
Steady
Good
Potatoes (Idaho)



Idaho Russets
Variable
Steady
Good
Tomatoes



Round, Grape, Plum
Moderate
Steady
Good
Roma
Moderate
Steady
Good
Washington Apples & Pears



Red & Golden Delicious
Moderate
Steady
Good
Granny Smiths, Galas
Moderate
Steady
Good
Fujis
Moderate
Steady
Good
Braeburns, Cameos
Moderate
Steady
Good
Bartletts
Moderate
Steady
Good
D'Anjou
High
Steady
Good
Red Anjou, Bosc
Moderate
Steady
Good
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