MARKET UPDATE AUGUST 19, 2022

Good afternoon,

NEW CROP GALA APPLES are getting started in Washington this week. The fall 2022 fruit is arriving just in time as GALA prices have jumped up quickly over the last few weeks. Unfortunately for FUJI, GOLD, and GRANNY SMITH apples, we still have another few weeks to go before those varieties are ready for harvest. Expect the latter markets to remain tight into mid-September and GALA prices to come down in the next few weeks.

LIME supplies have taken a downward turn this week. Quality issues are popping up in Mexico due to the burning summer heat. Low color and low juice fruit is kicking around the market and with pricing on the move, some shippers may be looking to pass off lower grade fruit at a higher price. Luckily this spike in the market should not be nearly as bad as the surge that ended in April of this year thanks to new crop LIMES starting in a few weeks. Look for some activity into early September and healthier supplies later in the month.

LETTUCE and LEAF pricing jumped this week. Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus or INSV is killing off plants in the Salinas valley, dramatically reducing the harvestable acreage of LETTUCE. INSV is a soil disease that is not harmful to humans but will cause internal decay in plants and has the capability to easily wipe out entire fields of product. The Salinas Valley season will come to an end around early November, so with another 8-10 weeks left, we may see a late season drop off in availability in about 6 weeks. Our hope is that this supply shortage ends quickly, so we can ease into the winter desert growing region without too many issues.

STONE FRUIT is starting to get tight. NECTARINES and PLUMS have light availability, pushing prices higher. PEACHES are in good supply, so if you are looking for a better priced option, look no further! PLUM pricing should improve as we transition into the late season variety in a few weeks.

This week will be our last week of Washington CHERRIES! We have moved our fruit over to suppliers with orchards that sit higher in elevation and the results have been great! Normally, the last few weeks of the cherry season are better left to domestic sales but this year it looks like we have some real quality fruit to finish off the deal.

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill