MARKET UPDATE WEEK # 18

Good Afternoon Everyone,

The heat is rising in South Florida! It’s beginning to feel like summer and that means some crops are moving up north. CABBAGE, PEPPERS, and the majority of FL veg is heading up into Central and Northern FL. CABBAGE is having a smooth transition and markets are at AVERAGE levels with some volume deals around. PEPPERS, TOMATOES and other Florida commodities are moving up in price and geographic location. As harvests get going up north, southern production is winding down, leaving several markets in a slight gap.

BLUEBERRIES are also moving North. There is still availability, but quality is not 100 percent. Heat in Florida has caught up to the fruit and we are seeing some issues that are common in late season fruit. BLUES out of MEXICO should be a better option as we move into the middle of May.

Although the summer season means the end for some of the more standard Florida commodities, it also means that TROPICALS are starting to pop up right in our backyard! The Month of MAY will bring us specialties like FLORIDA GREEN SKIN AVOCADOES, PASSION FRUIT and LYCHEE. In JUNE we will start to see the likes of DRAGON FRUIT and STAR FRUIT or CARAMBOLA.

We are at the end of the season on IMPORT GRAPES and one to two weeks out on NEW CROP out of MEXICO and then CALIFORNIA. Supplies on the storage crop will continue to be the only option for next week so please be patient as we deal with late season fruit. Prices should go down and quality should get better hopefully around late May.

LETTUCE and LEAF are in great supply out on the West Coast. All the growing regions in California are producing good numbers and market pricing reflects that.

CELERY markets are slowly coming off with demand slowing at astronomical prices. Supplies have not substantially increased but overall there is some sticker shock early this summer and consumers are backing off. There have been some signs pointing to Mexico finishing a few weeks early which could keep this market in shock for who knows how much longer. Please keep your eyes out on this market.

Have a wonderful rest of the week and we here at GPS want to wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day!

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill