August 29, 2018 Cucumbers: Local growers are harvesting. Growing conditions have been good so far and volume and markets are stable. Some growers will finish harvest in the coming weeks and we will transition to southern growing regions. Green Beans: Local quality is great! Markets are stable, time to promote Locally grown! VEGETABLES Asparagus: As the transition from Mexico to Peru happens shippers are still trying to find the right price. Quality has been very nice on Peruvian product with some Mexican product still available in the market place as well. Broccoli: Broccoli 14 s and crown market will see a good decrease for next week. Supply is good. Time to promote!! Cabbage: Local growers are now harvesting, and quality is great! Markets are stable. Cauliflower: Cauliflower market will remain steady next week. Supply is good. Time to promote!! Celery: Sleeved celery and celery heart market will see an decrease next week. Overall supply is getting better. Corn: Local growers are harvesting! Markets are steady as growers are in full production. Time to promote Local Sweet Corn! russdaviswholesale.com Green Bell Peppers: Local product is available with excellent quality! Markets are stable. Green Onions: Green onion market price will see a slight increase for next week. Overall supply is tight right now with vendors predicting shorts over the next two weeks. Not a promotable item right now. Green/Red Leaf Lettuce: Green leaf and red leaf market price will remain steady for next week. Time to promote! Hard Squash: California and Michigan are shipping. Markets are stable. Local harvest has started in a light way. Local product is projected to be available in the next 7-10 days. Up to this point growing conditions have been favorable and the crop looks healthy! Iceberg Lettuce: Iceberg market will see an decrease next week. Supply is a lot better and we appear to be out of the worst of the 800.332.7104 crazyfreshproduce.com
shortage. ONIONS: We re loading new crop New Mexico right now and quality has been good out of the region. The reds have had some outer skin color issues and haven t been as dark red as other years but they are solid good quality. Onion pricing remains stable with the exception of red onions. Currently, demand exceeds the supply of red onions, while shippers in New Mexico, California, and Washington are trying to move their supply of yellow onions. Washington growers are nearly completed with their shipments of over- winter yellow onions, and will begin direct seeded varieties within the next week. We ll monitor quality but the current plan is to wait until 7/30 for the first loading in Washington. Waiting a week will allow the grower to get through some of the early transplant product and also allow time for the whites. Sweet: We re on the tail-end of the Vidalia season. We ve added Washington Walla Wallas and NM Sweet Perfecion Onions. NW Heavenly sweets will be available the first week of August as well. Peppers: Look for local peppers to be available for the next few weeks. POTATOES: Local New Crop Potatoes: We are still tracking towards a start date of new crop B reds out of WI the end of July w/ A s to follow 7-10 days later. New crop MN reds should start around 8/7 with both A s and B s. The local russets have been pushed back to 8/9 in MN and 8/16 in WI. These are all weather dependent dates. Russets: Supplies of storage crop russet potatoes are decreasing in all shipping areas. New crop russet potatoes will soon be available from growers in Kansas, Washington and Texas. Pricing continues to track above average and changes to the market are not expected until early September. Reds: Red River Valley storage reds continue at promotable pricing with good quality. Florida is finishing up on new crop. Regions with new crop are now CA, NM & TX (with AZ and AR having limited product). We will stay with the storage red as long as quality allows. Golds: Kansas, California and Washington have begun to ship new crop yellow potatoes and quality looks good. Pricing remains high, which has leveled off a lot of movement. Until new crop starts in August, promotions or ads on golds aren t recommended. Pumpkins / Fall Decor: Local growers are anticipating having product available to ship just after Labor Day. Up to this point growing conditions have been favorable and the crops looks healthy! Radishes: We are shipping Local Radishes with great quality, both bagged and Green Top. Red, Yellow, Orange Peppers: Canadian Hot House availability is poor as they are experiencing poor quality at harvest and the recent heat is stressing new plantings. Markets are projected to be high for several weeks. Romaine Lettuce: Romaine hearts will take an increase while carton romaine will take a decrease for next week. Supply is steady. It is a good time to promote! Snap/Snow Peas: The peas/snap shippers believe the market will spike over the next two weeks as Guatemala runs out and California can t keep up Peru may have to cover everybody. Sweet Mini Peppers: Markets have increased slightly as supply is down due to transition in Mexican growing regions. Zucchini and Yellow Squash: Local growers are now harvesting. Some growers are finishing these items next week and we will look to load in other areas as local supply declines. VALUE ADDED DOLE: Iceberg: Good supply and quality. Industry is tightening. Romaine Lettuce: Good quality and supply. Conventional Spring Mix: Good supply and okay quality. Red & Green Leaf Lettuce: Good supply and quality on both. Conventional Spinach: Tighter supplies and quality. MANNS: We do not foresee any raw material supply shortages this week. russdaviswholesale.com 800.332.7104 crazyfreshproduce.com 2
Labor continues to be the biggest challenge. FRUIT Apples: Here is a breakdown on when local apples will start: Available now: Paula Reds, Zestar Apples, Apple Cider Week of 9/9/18: Sweet Tango Apples, Mcintosh Apples Week of 9/16/18: Cortland Apples Week of 9/23/18: Local Honeycrisp Apples Washington has started new crop Gala and Honeycrisp. Market is very high on the Honeycrisp but will come down as more growers start to harvest. New crop Granny Smith apples from Washington will be ready mid-september. Avocados: Markets and availability seem to have peaked, but volumes are down and pricing is very expensive. We expect this trend to continue through the end of September. Blackberries: Blackberries are coming off of peak volumes. Volume remains strong but will quickly downtrend next week. Market price will increase for next week. Promotional volume is still available for next week. Blueberries: Blueberry production continues to decrease as the Pacific NW and Michigan seasons come to a close. Central Mexico production remains a few weeks out. Market price will increase for next week. Cantaloupe/Honeydew: Fruit has been excellent with plenty of volume to support ads. Look for transition back to the dessert around the end of September which should bring a more stable market. Cherries: Cherries are coming to an end for the season. We will have Canadian product available for the next week or so. CITRUS: Navels: Great import navel ad opportunities for the month of August. Clementines: Supplies are starting to loosen up and markets are starting to trend downward. Cara Caras and Minneolas: Are available. Blood Oranges: Import Blood Oranges will be available in early September. Lemons: Lemons have become very short as an industry. California is in their typical shortage of volume, however, South America and Mexico are 35%-50% short of their normal crop. Mexico had some cold weather that froze some of the crop and South America had a few rain events and frost that have put them behind. We will see new crop in California in Mid-October. GRAPES: With the end of August at hand, we are finally getting a break from some of this long summer s heat. Skies are blue with daytime temperatures in the mid-nineties. Ideal grape growing weather is prevailing and the transition to our fall varieties is underway. We should be back to full production following last weeks harvest slowdown and the last of our early varieties will finish shipping this week. That being said, this also marks the time we encourage all retailers to start thinking about fall promotions. Harvest Hobgoblin time is right around the corner. As always, we have the high graphic bags, cartons and display bins, plus posters are available upon request. We will have Harvest Hobgoblin available through the end of October. Of course Pretty Lady and Sunlight are available every day all season long. The quality and flavor in the fruit this season is exceptional. We encourage continuous promotions through December on Grapes from California. Green: This week will start with Princess Seedless. They have big, plump, flavorful, well finished berries. Next in line is the much anticipated beginning of Green Emerald season. By the end of the week, Green Emerald will be in full harvest and available daily. These big crunchy berries have a great waxy finish with excellent flavor. Promote with confidence! Red: We have Flames to kick off the week and they have good size, solid color and eat like candy. This has been an excellent crop and russdaviswholesale.com 800.332.7104 crazyfreshproduce.com 3
should wrap up the season soon. As the Flames run low we will be starting Scarlet Royal season. By next week harvest is expected to really ramp up. Promote with confidence. Black: This crop of Midnight Beauty is really sharp. Big, crunchy, jet black and super tasty berries makes for a very sweet treat. We will continue harvest for quite a while so be sure and keep these well stocked at store level. Once again, Promote with confidence. Red Globe: We have plenty of Red Globes available from another shipper in our area. We are consolidating at our cooler and these Globes are very nice with good size, color, crunch and taste. Kiwi: Very good supplies on all kiwi. Limes: Lime markets are starting to trend upwards due to availability and quality concerns. Mangoes: We will see mainly Keitt varieties shipping out of Mexico over the next few weeks. Volume will start to drop off from Mexico so we will see a little stronger market on all. The offshore mangoes from Brazil are expected to start arriving around the second week of September. Market will increase along with the move. Pears: Washington Bartlett Pears and Red Pears are now available. Washington Bosc pears will be available the second week of September. Raspberries: Raspberry supply will remain steady but lower than normal for next week. Average supply is expected until mid-tolate September when central-mexico starts up production. Market price will hold steady for next week. STONE FRUIT: Peaches: Colorado is coming to an end with quality being excellent this entire year. Washington and California will continue to go through the end of the month, with promotional volume still available. Quality out of all areas has been very good. Plums: This years plum crop looks strong and will go for a while yet. Great time to get one last promotion in. Nectarines: Most growers will be winding up in the next few weeks on nectarines. Unlike peaches there is not much late season availability. Strawberries: Strawberry supply will continue to downtrend in to next week. Northern CA growing regions are winding down whereas the Oxnard region will start to come in to the picture over the next couple of weeks, but not sufficient enough to offset the northern downtrend. Market price will increase for next week. TOMATOES: Roma: Mexican product is what we are loading in McAllen, TX, California is also shipping. Markets are slightly increasing. Quality is a challenge. Late summer heat is impacting product. Grape/Cherry: East Coast production has shifted up to Virginia and Maryland. California and McAllen are also shipping. Markets are low but expected to rise. Quality is a challenge. Late summer heat and wetter than normal growing conditions are having a negative impact on the fruit. On the Vine: There are steady supplies and good quality available from Canadian growers. Markets are stable but are projected to increase slightly. Beefsteak: Markets are stable. There are good supplies and quality available from Canadian growers. WATERMELON: We are loading Watermelon out of Texas and market will remain strong due to low volume and high demand. Mini Seedless: Market is steady and quality is very good. ORGANIC New Items: 49667-12/3oz Organic Turmeric 48599-9/.5gal Organic Local Apple Cider 48988-36lb Organic Local Paula Red Apples 48989-10/3lb Organic Local Paula Red Apples Up Next - Local Organic Brussels Sprouts next week Organic Bagged Radishes: The bagged radishes from Cal-Organic will be gapping until next month. Organic Grapes: Green and red grapes are from California. And delicious Champagne grapes are here. Organic Green Top Red Carrots: These will be gapping until the fall. russdaviswholesale.com 800.332.7104 crazyfreshproduce.com 4
Organic Hydro Cukes: They are seeing a lot of problems at the field level with yellowing and soft tips, so supply is very tight right now. Sourcing from Canada, Mexico and Spain. Organic Figs: Calimyrna figs are done for the season, but we are back into the black missions for a month or so. Organic Fingerlings: Medley fingerlings are here! Organic Mangoes: We just received some bad news. The undipped baja kent mangoes that we do every year are not going to happen this year. The yield was really small this season, and they decided to keep all the fruit in the Mexican market. Organic Potatoes: Local potatoes are done for the season. We should have a steady supply of all sizes and packs out of California. Organic Stone Fruit: Our Washington peaches are beautiful 28ct sweet dreams! We have plenty in stock, but there are no more available for loading. The farmer stopped harvesting fruit because of smoke damage from the forest fires and high temperatures. Looking for more sources, but get promos in now! Organic Strawberries: EBF is now harvesting their strawberries out of Watsonville CA. russdaviswholesale.com 800.332.7104 crazyfreshproduce.com 5