MARKET UPDATE OCTOBER 11-15, 2021

Good afternoon,

California veggies are set to transition down to YUMA over the next 3-5 weeks. ICEBERG will be the first to wrap up in SALINAS, as supplies shift southeast to HURON, CALIFORNIA. ROMAINE and LEAFY GREENS will be next up with supplies moving directly down to YUMA, ARIZONA, around the first to week of November. BROCCOLI and CAULIFLOWER will move to Yuma in the first few weeks of DECEMBER. Inventory rotation, cold chain management, and all shelf life saving protocols become even more important this late in the season. The word from our growers in California is that it is going to be a very bumpy road through the fall transition.   

PINEAPPLE imports to Florida saw a healthy 39% increase last week after several weeks of logistical difficulties. Despite heavy port congestion in California and Philadelphia, imports to Florida are only experiencing minor delays. Production volume is improving in Costa Rica while other pineapple growing countries are seeing a collective decrease in production. Here in South Florida, we are in excellent shape and should see a stable market going forward.

WATERMELON season is coming to a close in the Central US. IMPORT MELONS out of Central America are still a few weeks away from arrival. Availability on 45ct bins is going to be limited until early November and market pricing is going to move up as supplies decrease.

The MICHIGAN APPLE outlook for this season is showing us a lot of volume on LARGER SIZES. That is great news for retailers but leaves foodservice suppliers to deal with elevated market pricing. GALA and RED 198ct apples are going to see some difficulty this year, as that size profile is in high demand for poly bag, juice, and cider production.  

PEPPER, EGGPLANT, CUCUMBER, SQUASH, and more are hitting their stride in Georgia this week. We are in the first few weeks of the season, so crown pick items like JUMBO BELL PEPPER should be in good shape.

STONE FRUIT supplies are dwindling out in California. PEACHES have about a week or two of supply left as PLUMS look to finish up sometime in early November. South American STONE FRUIT and GRAPES will be getting going before we know it for the holiday season.

Make sure you get your HALLOWEEN items! We have MINI PUMPKINS, MIXED GOURDS, JACK O LANTERN PUMPKINS, WHITE MINI PUMPKINS, PIE PUMKINS, AND MORE! Let’s set the mood for the holiday season!

More as it happens,

Parker Tannehill