Weekly Market Review June 11, 2015 Market Alert Ø Garlic- Peeled Ø Fennel Ø Lemons Ø Parsley, Italian Ø Transportation Overview Green and Red leaf supplies are normal. Both Romaine Hearts and Romaine supplies are good this week along with demand. Broccoli supplies have improved; beginning to see supplies meet demand. The Lemon market is very tight and we are seeing very few 140 s and larger. The asparagus market has eased up. We will see more relief end of June on jumbos. Most all herbs are in good supply and quality. The Berry market remains strong. Good weather in Mexico has increased production on Blackberries. Quality and supplies are very good. The fennel market is tight, and we are seeing high prices. We are hoping for an improvement next week. Garlic remains tight as well.
Transportation Availability improved early in the week, however this pattern could be reversed for late- week shipments. The general trend will continue with increasing freight rates through summer. Weather Gradual cooling in Salinas has occurred this week; however, a weak high pressure system is expected to return this weekend, bringing inland highs above average by Saturday. Following a cooling trend early in the week in Northern Mexico, temperatures will return to the 100 s. The forecast calls for highs continuing in the 80 s in the higher elevations of Southern Mexico, accompanied by afternoon thunderstorms. Clear skies and moderate temperatures in the 870 s will continue in the coastal districts of Northern Baja California. Fruits and Vegetables Avocados Pricing is stable; no real demand. There is good availability on all sizes/grades. Bananas Prices and quality are back to normal. Berries Blueberries: Delano product quality is good but picking costs are becoming an issue. Stockton is close to hitting its peak. Expect very good quality since growing weather and picking conditions have been stellar. Oregon will be off to a modest start end of the week but will begin to show a good weekly availability with Duke and Reka in the lead. Washington has excellent growing weather; Sumas looks like it will have a very good crop. Still predicting to start picking June 20 for most growers in BC, Canada. In Georgia, high volumes of fresh Rabbit eye blues continue. All early and mid- season varieties are being harvested at this time. Rains have caused some deterioration of quality due to splits. Rain remains a constant threat through the week. Georgia is at peak volumes. North Carolina quality is good and growers are staying fairly current on the harvest. In New Jersey, first pick Duke should start 6/16. Earliblue and Bluetta harvest in Michigan, and Duke in Indiana will start with lower volumes. Winter temperature injury and cane diseases affecting many acres. Blackberries: Mexico is done for the season. California continues to come on and is slowly gaining speed each week. West coast looks to be snug for the next few weeks. Georgia volumes have gained full speed. Quality in Georgia is really good; both color and flavor are excellent.
Raspberries: Same as raspberries for the most part. Mexico production has finally come to an end, and California will slowly increase week by week and then remain steady. Quality and flavor is great overall. Watsonville will remain snug for the remainder of this week and Santa Maria/Oxnard is sold out. Strawberries: California continues to peak this week in Watsonville/Salinas for fresh production. Even with the warmer weather, strawberries still look to be tight all week. Varieties in the North remain the same; mostly producing Monterey, with some Albion and San Andreas. California- Arizona Citrus Grapefruit: Sizes are peaking on 36/32/40 with promotional availability on all sizes. Lemons: Very limited availability on all but 200s/235s. Very few additional lemons for those not on contract. Contract lemons will be prorated very shortly, especially 140s and larger. Limes (Persian): Best values on 200s and smaller but larger sizes are also reasonable. Navel Oranges: Availability only from the major suppliers. Valencia Oranges: There are deals on most sizes and grades. Texas/Florida Citrus: Valencia s are available in both areas. Pineapple: Some quality issues are beginning to appear. Specialty Citrus Items: Imports should begin to arrive in the next few weeks. California Lettuce Green and Red Leaf: Supplies are good on both green and red leaf. Very light mildew, light fringe burn. Demand is good. Iceberg Lettuce: This week has been the lightest supply on Iceberg we have seen since we came back from Yuma. Quality is good and weights are lighter though with good appearance. Romaine: Romaine supplies are good. Demand is also good. Insect pressure is still a factor in the fields along with light mildew and light fringe burn. Growers are trying to keep to a minimum. Romaine Hearts: Romaine heart supplies are normal. Demand is good. Quality is good. Light insect pressure in the fields. Eastern and Western Vegetables Green and Red Bell Peppers: The transition in the West for green bell peppers from Coachella to Bakersfield is complete and production is now ramping up and prices are continuing to ease. Volume is steady out of Southern Georgia as well. Red bell pepper supplies are winding down in the California desert, volume increasing in Bakersfield and Oxnard. Pricing is stable across western growing regions. Red Fresno chili peppers: Demand continues to exceed supply during the harvest transition in Mexico. Prices have spiked to extreme levels. Cucumbers: The harvest is winding down in Northern Mexico, while cool weather in Baja California has held back production; prices have firmed in the West. A very wide range in quality and price characterizes cucumbers from Georgia. South Carolina has just began and looks promising in terms of quality.
English Cucumber: Hothouse production from growers in British Columbia and Ontario are now primary sources; also California with good availability. Green Beans: Prices have firmed in the East, as the harvest moves from Georgia to North Carolina. Production will be very light from California and The Baja this week. Zucchini & Yellow Squash: Good supplies on new crop zucchini and yellow squash from Central and Southern California. Georgia and New Jersey currently supply the East. Acorn, Butternut, Spaghetti: Good availability for acorn and spaghetti from Mexico; tight supplies on butternut. Grapes New crop on green grapes has begun, and quality is good. Red grapes are experiencing quality and size issues. They are still coming from Chile Mexico/Coachella. Flames and Perlette s have started. Herbs The Herb market is stable. All other herbs are steady. HERB SUPPLIES QUALIT Y COUNTRY OF ORIGIN Arugula Steady Good USA Basil Steady Good USA/MEXICO Opal Basil Steady Good MEXICO Thai Basil Steady Good USA/MEXICO Bay Leaves Steady Good COLUMBIA Chervil Limited Fair USA/MEXICO 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/MEXICO
Sage Steady Good USA/MEXICO Savory Steady Good USA Sorrel Steady Good USA Tarragon Steady 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 Quality is very good now, and all coming out of Mexico and loading in Hidalgo, TX. Sizes will be trending more on the larger size with smaller fruit, 10ct and up, a little shorter. Guatemala is done, so there is no longer any product in Miami. Melons The cantaloupe market has quickly moved to a demands exceeds situation. Rain affected the region last Friday which prevented pack outs for that day. We have been getting rain from Hurricane Blanca which has not helped. Fruit is projected to be 9 s and larger. Honeydew sizing in Arizona continues to be 6 s and 8 s with 5 s being very limited. California starts in about 3 weeks. Watermelons Supplies are tightening up in Florida as they are winding down. However, Georgia and South Carolina are scheduled to start next week. Nogales is flooded with fruit, and Texas melons are readily available. The overall market will continue to show weakness and starting to load next week. Seeded melons extremely tight. Mixed Vegetables Artichokes: Light supplies of artichokes expected to continue this week with sizes leaning a bit heavier toward the larger side. Large loose and small loose will be limited. Quality is good. Prices should continue to be about steady. Arugula: Supplies of both baby and wild arugula are good and readily available. There are some sizing issues along with slight yellowing, but quality is good. Asparagus: The market has become much better. We will see more asparagus in the markets from Washington, New Jersey and soon Canada. Quality will improve, but expect jumbos to remain tight through June. Quality is good and has improved. Bok Choy: Tight supplies, high prices.
Broccoli: Broccoli production is steady and we are generating exceptional yields for this time of year. However, we are still seeing #1 labels and exports difficult to find. Fields are producing a good green color, texture and overall good appearance. Carrots: Availability is good for jumbo carrots in California. Quality is good. Cauliflower: Supplies throughout the industry are steady, but not excessive. Quality should is fair and supplies are moderate. Celery: The market has been trending down for the last few days. Some shippers are starting to harvest in Salinas this week. All celery in Salinas has been transferred from either Santa Maria or Oxnard. Quality is nice in both locations aside from a bit of insect damage and dirt showing up in some heads. Fennel: Very light supplies this week and the next two weeks. Currently, 20 days ahead of schedule and the cooler days and nights are drastically slowing product growth. Supplies will be predominately 18s, 24s and 30s throughout the week. The field is still battling some pith/minor bulb discoloration but crews are taking extra steps to make sure issues do not make it into the box. Garlic: 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: Green onion market remains poor, especially iced. Still good volume crossing daily with little demand on iced green onions. Iceless remains steady, with decent demand. We will most likely not see any change in the market until Mexican growers get into lighter suppler plantings sometime by mid- June. Kale (Green): Kale numbers are very good this week. Quality and appearance continues to be beautiful with bunches are averaging 12-14 in length with dark green color. Mache: Adequate availability. Napa: Improved supplies. Market has stabilized. Parsley (Curly, Italian): Curly parsley is steady. Italian parsley supplies are below average. Red Cabbage: Substantial volume this week. Heads are large and heavy (up to 60-70 lbs.). Market is steady. 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 wind damage, 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 and oversizing.
Onions Market remains firm on jumbos and larger. California crop size profile is towards the smaller sizes. Supers and Colossal are extremely tight from California. New Mexico has a much bigger size profile but is barely able to keep up with demand. At this time, there is a nice balance between supply and demand on red onions. Fob s remain steady. For the near future, markets are likely to remain steady into next week. Potatoes (Idaho) No changes are expected for the next week to 10 days. There is an enormous imbalance regarding pricing between larger and smaller sizes. Larger sizes such as 70ct and larger will remain tight for the remainder of the storage crop. Deals can be made on large orders of 80ct and smaller. Quality is decent, but shelf life will become as issue as we get deeper into the summer. Tomatoes Round, Roma, Plum, and Grape: The market has tightened on Roma s and rounds. Florida for the most part is finished and production will begin to ramp up out of South Carolina. Grape tomatoes are readily available out of the west (Baja). Quality is excellent. Tree Fruit June is always a big volume production month anyway. Between the heat and the volume there now exists excellent buying opportunities to promote tree fruit at the BEST delivered prices of the year. The sizes of the Yellow Peaches and Yellow Nectarines are peaking on larger sizes as well. The early Plum deal was riddled with poor production caused by a poor set and wild weather fluctuations. The fluctuations caused a lot of the Plums to have split pits. In the last few days several new varieties of Red and Black Plums have started and the price has also dropped significantly. White Peaches and White Nectarines are the best quality and sweetness of the season. When you bite into one all you taste is the pure sugar of the fruit. Kiwi: Chile is the main supply area. California is starting. Italian is available off the East Coast and on the West Coast.
Washington Apples and Pears Demand is fair, and supplies good on reds, adequate on other varieties. Retailers are now looking to promote summer seasonal items, leaving even greater promotional opportunities on apples, especially 88s and larger red delicious 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.
COMMODITY PRICE EXPECTED PRICE TREND QUALITY Avocados Avocados- California Moderate Steady Good Berries Avocados- Mexican Moderate Steady Good California- Arizona Citrus California Lettuce Blackberries Moderate Steady Good Blueberries Moderate Steady Good Raspberries Moderate Steady Good Strawberries Low Steady Good Grapefruit Moderate Steady Good Lemons Moderate Up Good Limes Moderate Down Excellent Oranges- Navels Moderate Steady Poor Pineapple Moderate Steady Good Green and Red Leaf High Steady Good Iceberg Moderate to High Steady Good Romaine Moderate Steady Good Romaine Hearts High Steady Good Eastern & Western Vegetables Cucumbers Moderate Up Fair to Good Green Beans Mod. To High Up (East) Good Green Bell Peppers Moderate Down Good Red Bell Peppers Moderate Up Good Grape & Tree Fruit Melons Yellow Squash Moderate Steady Excellent Zucchini Moderate Steady Excellent Gapes- Green Seedless High Steady Good Grapes- Red Seedless High Steady Good Plums Moderate Steady Good 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 Moderate to High Steady Good Carrots Moderate Steady Good Cauliflower Moderate Up Very Good Celery Moderate Down Good Frisee Moderate Steady Good Fennel/Anise High Steady Good Garlic, Peeled Extreme Steady Good Green Cabbage Low to Moderate Steady Excellent Green Onions Low Down Good Kale (Green) Low to Moderate Steady Excellent Mache ModModerate Moderate Steady Good Napa High Steady Good Parsley (Curly/Italian) Moderate/High Steady/Down Excellent Red Cabbage Moderate Steady Excellent Snow and Sugar Snap Peas High Steady Poor to Fair Spinach (baby) Moderate Up 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 Moderate Steady Good Romas Moderate Steady Good Washington Apples & Pears Red and Golden Delicious Moderate Steady Good Granny Smiths, Galas Moderate Steady Good
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