Good afternoon,
FINALLY, supplies are improving on CAULIFLOWER and BROCCOLI! Sunny days have provided some much needed warmth for these cruciferous cousins. Thanks to the warmth, we will see a faster growth cycle, better availability, and better pricing.
Northern Florida will see FREEZING temperatures starting tomorrow that will last through Monday. Lighter availability is to be expected on Florida veg, but we are especially concerned about the STRAWBERRY supply. To preserve the crop from freeze damage, growers will run water in the fields to create an ice shield on the berries. When temperatures near freezing, it will stop harvest for the day. As of today, we are looking at the possibility of no harvest on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
To contrast the chilly conditions in Florida, conditions have been ideal over in Mexico. Supplies have increased on YELLOW, ORANGE, and RED BELL PEPPER, and this trend looks to continue for at least a few weeks. Expect healthy supplies on full box and hot house pepper for the beginning of February.
CHERRY supplies are winding down for the season. As the old saying goes, you never want to be first in or last out. That saying holds especially true when it comes to a pricey piece of fruit like CHERRIES. There should still be supplies kicking around for another few weeks but all of that is late season and transported by boat. Out of three arrivals this week we received one that was in good condition for export. That is a clear sign its time to pull out of CHERRIES.
GRAPE supplies are barely trickling into the United States. Late vessels and delayed port clearances continue this week, leaving buyers fighting over limited supplies. Markets will remain high on grapes moving forward.
More as it happens,
Parker Tannehill