MARKET UPDATE 09.22.24

Good afternoon,

With October just a few weeks away, we will have HALLOWEEN PUMPKINS available next week! Bins will be available in 20-25ct,30-35ct, and 40-45ct sizes. As we get closer to the first of the month, more and more fall goodies will become available!

ASPARAGUS supplies continue their downward availability trend this week. The heat this summer has not been exclusive to California, temperatures well above seasonal averages have dried out fields and shortened production cycles. PERUVIAN supplies are available but lack the volume needed to offset the shortage south of the border and correct this market.

BELL PEPPER supplies up north have improved allowing the better quality PEPPER to match up closer to pricing out of Mexico and Central America. GREEN BELLS are still coming out of Michigan with better pricing and availability.

MICHIGAN APPLES are ready to roll! Fresh REDS and GALAS are being harvested as we speak and stored away into controlled atmosphere rooms. Washington APPLE season is also well underway, with nearly all varieties offering varying levels of availability of new crop fruit.

The hot summer continues to challenge BERRY markets. STRAWBERRIES are slow to start in Santa Maria and Oxnard, with production expected to peak later next month. BLUEBERRIES are in one of the worst gaps we have seen, with poor quality out of the Pacific NW, nothing yet available out of Mexico, and Peruvian supplies limited. BLACK and RASPBERRIES are on a similar schedule, waiting for OCTOBER for better availability.

CAULIFLOWER and BROCCOLI are the story of the haves and have nots in California. Certain suppliers are offering pricing on CAULIFLOWER well below market and when you see the product first hand, it is obvious why. We are better off sticking with average market pricing at the moment and getting better quality. BROCCOLI is in a similar situation but without suppliers breaking down the price floor. The lower market average on broccoli can be a trap this late in the deal, so we use our expertise to try and avoid these purchasing pitfalls.

PEACHES and NECTARINES are going to start to decline in the next two weeks. Our quality reports are still positive but the end of the season comes quick for these two STONE FRUIT varieties.

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill