MARKET UPDATE 01.05.25

Good afternoon,

ASPARAGUS production is limited this week. Cooler temperatures in Mexico have slowed down harvesting, lowering availability. Peruvian asparagus remains the main supply line here on the east coast but shortages south of the border continue to keep markets elevated. Barring any additional weather events, markets should improve in another two to three weeks.

CELERY markets are up as California supplies transition south. We have seen some quality issues pop up like yellow seeder and decreased shelf life over the last few weeks as we navigate late season product. Arizona and Florida CELERY should be available in the next few weeks which will help improve quality and bring down pricing.

CANTALOUPE and HONEYDEW remain in short supply. Tropical storm Sara was a late addition to the 2024 Hurricane season but still caused some unexpected damage to Central American Melon crops. We should see some relief later this month but expect shortages to remain for most of January.

Florida STRAWBERRIES are in great supply. We have hit a warmer streak the last several days and that has helped keep supplies ahead of schedule. A few models have predicted a heavy cold front to hit the southeast in a few weeks, which could provide some challenges for Florida fruit and veg. For now, we are looking at great availability and fair quality.

CHERRIES, PEACHES, NECTARINES, and APRICOTS are available out of Chile. PLUMS have finished out of California so we are now entering a gap for another 2-3 weeks. We expect CHERRIES to remain available into possibly mid-February but now that all of the fruit is coming across by boat, changes in availability can happen quickly and earlier than expected.

PEAR supplies are light this year. Large BOSC pears are leading the shortage at almost a 40% drawback from last seasons procution. All PEARS will see higher pricing this year as growers make an effort to slow down demand and stretch inventories out into the fall.

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill