MARKET UPDATE FEBRUARY 11, 2024

Good afternoon,

We are at the midway point in the APPLE and PEAR season and so far, markets have remained mostly stable. East coast shippers are short on smaller sizes but have been able to move packing times around to put up some smaller fruit like 113's and 198's. LARGE GALAS are starting to tighten up as well, everyone's favorite retail darling has been selling fast, forcing shippers to play catch up with demand. Pricing has gone up this week on large GALA APPLES in an effort to slow down demand.

ASPARAGUS availability increased this week with Mexican product finally taking off. Markets have significantly softened with great availability out of MX leading to better pricing.

BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER remain in good supply this week. With a mix of product available in Southern California, Arizona, and even some east coast product, we are seeing competitive markets for these cruciferous cousins.

LETTUCE and ROMAINE still show some field issues like bruising on outer leafs and pink discoloration due to recent conditions but availability and pricing remain favorable. We did see some rain this week in the desert which may slow down harvesting and create some small gaps in supply.

California NAVEL ORANGES are starting to tighten up, especially on smaller sizes like 88-138 ct. The rain events this week amplified production issues and gave growers a reason to sit out for a few days. Fruit is tight now but we expect things to worsen later in the season.

GRAPES remain in a tough spot! Imports are slow to trickle in as suppliers look to extend Peruvian fruit as long as possible with the delayed arrival of Chilean fruit. We have a few more weeks of difficulty but hopefully market conditions improve in early March.

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill