September 19, 2018 Cucumbers: Local growers are finished for the season. We have transitioned to Mexican grown product shipping from McAllen, Texas then will move to Nogales, Arizona. Markets are very high as this transition is happening. VEGETABLES Green Beans: Local growers are finishing shortly. Georgia growers will be doing some test harvests at the end of this week. They are anticipating great quality to start. Asparagus: With the scare of the hurricane behind us things have settled down a bit. Look for promotional volume to start to pick up in the next few weeks. Green Bell Peppers: Local growers are projected to finish harvest in the next 7-10 days. Broccoli: Broccoli 14 s and crowns will see a decrease for next week. Supply is good. Time to promote! Green Onions: Green onion market price will continue to rise for next week. Overall supply is tight. Not recommended to promote at this time. Cabbage: Local growers are now harvesting, and quality is great! Markets are stable. Cauliflower: Cauliflower market will take a big decrease next week. Market is in good shape and it s time to promote! Celery: Sleeved celery and celery heart market will see an increase next week. Market is tight. Not recommended to promote at this time. Corn: Local growers are beginning to finish their harvest and we will begin to transition to Georgia. russdaviswholesale.com Green/Red Leaf Lettuce: Green leaf and red leaf market price will see a slight decrease for next week. Time to promote! Hard Squash: Local product is available. Up to this point growing conditions have been favorable, and the crop looks healthy! Time to promote!! Iceberg Lettuce: Iceberg market will remain steady next week. Supply is a lot better. Time to promote! Onions: Onion supplies are tighter than normal for this time 800.332.7104 crazyfreshproduce.com
of year. Eastern growing regions have struggled to start their seasons due to heavy rain. There is fear that there could be some degree of loss in Michigan and Wisconsin, among other areas due to rain. Harvest conditions have not been ideal in the Pacific Northwest as well. Growers have had issues properly drying out their onion crop. Once harvests are complete and growing regions bring more new crop to market, there will be a lot of pressure to start shipping heavily. Prices may fall substantially as a result. Sweet onions We are pulling in new crop NW Heavenly Sweets and new crop Peruvian Sweets. Quality has been good. Peppers: Look for local peppers to be available for the next few weeks. POTATOES: Local New Crop Potatoes: All growing areas have new crop russet potatoes available with average to above average yields. Pricing remains under pressure on all sizes as more new crop russet potatoes come to market. Russet potato pricing has dropped to seasonal averages as more new crop becomes available. The one factor that is of concern is all of the recent rain in both ND and parts of MN. Russets: Our Green Giant Idaho lineup has fully transitioned into new crop Idaho potatoes. Bakers out of Idaho are Norkotas. Burbanks are about 4 weeks out. Initial quality has been good. Reds: New crop reds are available from both WI and MN with both regions reporting good quality. The recent heavy rain in WI may have an impact on yield. Several growers in MN are finishing up for the season and we are about 2-3 weeks from Red River Valley potatoes. We may see some price increases in the short term until RRV gets going. Golds: The yellow potato market has seen little change in both demand and pricing. New crop yellow potatoes are available from every growing area. Pumpkins / Fall Decor: Local growers are harvesting and are seeing great quality, up to this point growing conditions have been favorable and the crops looks healthy! Red, Yellow, Orange Peppers: Canadian Hot House availability is stable, and markets have stabilized from the recent high levels. Romaine Lettuce: Romaine hearts will remain steady and carton romaine will take a decrease for next week. Supply is steady. It is a good time to promote! Snap/Snow Peas: Snow Peas - Guatemala product, Peru is intermittent, and quality has been marginal has been better. We will keep reviewing arrivals to ensure best quality on arrival. Snap Peas - Guatemala and Peru, both have been coming in with very light volumes. Sweet Mini Peppers: Markets have increased slightly as supply is down due to transition in Mexican growing regions. Volume is projected to improve over the next few weeks. Zucchini and Yellow Squash: Product is very limited in volume and markets are high. Mexican growers are starting to ship through Nogales, Arizona. That is where we will transition to as Local growers are finishing. VALUE ADDED DOLE: Iceberg: Good supply and quality. 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: Better supplies and quality. MANNS: Organic Green Beans: Due to short supplies, coverage of this item could be hit and miss this week. EARTHBOUND FARM: Romaine Hearts: Supplies are projected to remain under budget for the balance of the month. Please do not offer advanced prices until further notice. Watch for updated market prices daily. Growing Regions: Hollister, Santa Maria & The Salinas Valley Radishes: We are shipping Local Radishes with great quality, both bagged and Green Top. russdaviswholesale.com 800.332.7104 crazyfreshproduce.com 2
for the fall crop. This year has been a great year to have promotions setup with excellent quality fruit being available. Cherries: Cherries are coming to an end for the season. We will have Canadian product available for the next week or so. 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: Peru and California are starting to wind down for the season, once these two regions are done the power will shift back to Mexico and there is some uncertainty what will happen to markets in October. Blackberries: Blackberry volume continues to downtrend across the board as CA growing regions wind down for the season. Central Mexico has started production although volumes are light and not enough to off-set the downtrend from CA. Market price will increase for next week. Promotions are not advised moving forward. Blueberries: Blueberry supply will remain light for next week as the Pacific NW/Canadian fruit has finished for the season whereas Central Mexico and South American imports have started in a light way. Market price will increase for next week. Central Mexico should start to ramp up production in the next one-to-two weeks. Cantaloupe/Honeydew: California will be shipping for two more weeks before everything transitions back to the desert in Arizona CITRUS: Halos: Will start around the end of October / early November. Cara Caras and Minneolas: Are available. Blood Oranges: Are available. Lemons: The industry is starting to recover on lemon supplies as California is beginning its new crop. Grapefruit: Texas will start around the first part of October. Cranberries: Will be available the last week of September. GRAPES: Bright, sunny, mild and dry sums up our current weather forecast as this very impressive grape harvest continues. The quality this season is outstanding, especially with these mid-season varieties. Demand remains good and with pricing at promotional levels, there are plenty of opportunities to feature this vintage California Grown Grape crop. With our single biggest promotion of the year underway, the Harvest Hobgoblin program has launched with shipping numbers growing daily. The fun, high graphic, Hobgoblin bags, cartons and display bins really help capture everyone s attention in the Produce Department. Most importantly, the eating quality brings shoppers back for more. For those choosing to delay the Halloween theme, we have good supplies of Pretty Lady and Sunlight available every day as well. This season will continue to yield plentiful supplies of great tasting gapes through the end of the year. So plan promotions with total confidence through December. Green: It s all Emerald for green seedless and they are excellent. These big crunchy two bite berries are at their peak of flavor and will be available through early November. We also are watching the Autumn Crisp edging closer to harvest but those are still waiting for full maturity. Late fall will bring us Autumn King and Luisco too. We will have plenty of Green Seedless through December. Red: We are going strong on Scarlet Royal and the taste is excellent due to the high brix. The berries have 100% full red color with russdaviswholesale.com 800.332.7104 crazyfreshproduce.com 3
that signature pop to the bite. This is our Red Seedless for the next couple of months so plan on a very consistent, flavorful grape that shoppers can depend on. Later this season we will have Scarlotta and Vintage to take to the end of the year. Black: This has been a very good year for Black Seedless as well. We are nearing our next transition to Autumn Royal with its large torpedo shaped super crunchy berries. One of our most flavorful grapes, this early fall favorite really complements the rest of our other varieties. As we get further into the season, we see the Adora, another excellent late fall delight. Kiwi: Very tight and market increasing as we wait on the first Greek, Italian and California to become available. California fruit is pushed back due to lack of sugar Limes: Lime markets are stable, and pricing is promotable. Mangoes: Supply out of Mexico is decreasing rapidly with Southern Sinaloa closed for the season, Northern Sinaloa has been delayed due to weather while also trying to meet demand from several shippers. Peak sizing out of Northern Sinaloa is about 70-80% 4 s and 5 s with few 6 s and smaller. We ve been looking on the outside this week for additional product but other shippers seem to be in the same situation. 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 start to increase for next week as production in Central Mexico picks up steam. Market price will drop for next week. Promotional volume is available! STONE FRUIT: Peaches: Look for California to keep going for the next couple of weeks with good quality as all other areas are finishing up. With a lot of shippers have late season fruit there is still time to get in the last promotion. Plums: Promotional volume for the next couple of weeks with shippers saying the crop could go until the middle of October. Quality has been excellent on this years crop. Nectarines: California will be finishing up by the end of the month. A few shippers soon than that. Quality was excellent this year. Strawberries: Strawberry supply will continue to decline in the coming weeks as northern CA growing regions wind down. Production in the Oxnard region will begin trending upward but not enough to offset the downtrend in the north. Central Mexico won t come in to the picture until mid-november. Market price will increase for next week. TOMATOES: Roma: Mexico is starting to ship more Roma Tomatoes. California Market remains slightly lower. As Mexican supply improves, we will see markets decline. Florida is projected to start in October. Grape/Cherry: Florida will begin shipping at the end of this week. Markets have increased slightly with some of the recent weather issues in the east. On the Vine: There are steady supplies and good quality available from Canadian growers. Markets are stable. Beefsteak: Markets and Supply are stable from Canadian growers. More volume is becoming available from Mexican 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: 49288 - Organic Pomegranates 51873 - Organic Local Rutabaga 51761 - Organic Local Turnip 51759 - Organic Local Parsnips 49548 - Organic Local 12/2# Rainbow Carrots from Harmony Valley 49235 - Organic Local 12/1qt Concord Grapes from Hill and Valley Up Next: Local celery root and sunchokes in 1-2 weeks, fuyu persimmons in 3-4 weeks Organic Asparagus: We are starting with a new grower in Florida, so we should have consistent pricing and supply available look russdaviswholesale.com 800.332.7104 crazyfreshproduce.com 4
for ad quotes. Organic Bagged Radishes: The bagged radishes from Cal-Organic will be gapping until October. Organic Zucchini and Yellow Squash: Done for the season. We have switched to Mexican product. Organic Blueberries: We are wrapping up the season on pint blueberries. We will just have 6oz out of Oregon for a while. Organic Grapes: California red and green grapes are very promotable right now! Champagne grapes are done for the season. Organic Green Top Red Carrots: These will be gapping until the fall. 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: Black mission figs should go through the rest of the month. Organic Fingerlings: Medley fingerlings are here! Organic Local Cucumbers: We are done with the season on local cucumbers. Mexican product is here. Organic Melons: Honeydew are done for the season, cantaloupe 1-2 weeks left and mini seedless 2-3 weeks. Organic Potatoes: Local potatoes will start back up the first week of October. We now have a steady supply of all sizes and packs out of California. Organic Stone Fruit: We have our last shot of Washington organic peaches. They are beautiful 30-32ct. Organic Strawberries: EBF is now harvesting their strawberries out of Watsonville CA. They are a little limited right now, but will be switching to a new growing region and should have lots of strong berries at the end of the month. Organic Sweet Onions: We have local organic bulk sweet onions here! russdaviswholesale.com 800.332.7104 crazyfreshproduce.com 5