MARKET UPDATE DECEMBER 01, 2023

Good afternoon,

Post holiday demand has dipped as Thanksgiving leftovers and a short holiday break have kept many Americans at home this week. Temperatures have been cold as some areas have seen their first snow of the season and other regions, like the Northwest, have seen road closures due to slick icy conditions. Cooler temps will slow production down on most goods, but with demand slowed by too much Turkey, we may not see any effects. 

SPINACH is in good supply and often doesn't get mentioned in our updates due to its regular availability and pricing. This week, pricing looks to remain flat but availability may take a hit to the cooler weather. Production is about 20-30% behind schedule as we head towards the weekend pull but we anticipate 100% coverage on our orders.

FLORIDA STRAWBERRIES are going to get a soft start next week! Availability is still light until we get later into December, barring any weather events of course. The good news is that pricing will start to come off immediately as Florida crops come into play. We will give DRISCOLL.S FLORIDA berries a chance to start out and if the quality is not there, we will move back to the California Export fruit but still carry alternative labels of Florida fruit for a price conscious purchase. 

COLORED BELL PEPPERS are tight as west coast supplies dwindle late in the season. Product out of Mexico should increase over the next few weeks but until greenhouse supplies out of Canada improve, markets will remain tight with limited availability and higher pricing. GREEN BELLS are primarily grown in Mexico and the Southeastern US this time of year, so we are working with completely different growing regions and sufficient supplies. 

The transition over to California NAVEL ORANGES continues as pricing slowly slides south. Quality and sugar levels are good in the new crop fruit and it looks like we should see the trend of improved availability continue into the month of December. FLORIDA Oranges have started but prolonged ripening gas times are currently too long for the fruit to have good flavor or be suitable for export.

CHERRIES, PEACHES, and NECTARINES and literally flying in from Chile! Air transported fruit still makes up most of what is available so pricing remains high. 

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill