Week 40 2025 Market update
Port Strike: The expected labor strike has begun effecting points of entry in Baltimore, Boston, Norfolk, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Mobile, New Orleans, New York, Philly, Savannah, Tampa, and Wilmington. The initial impact will be negligible but if it persists more than a few days we will see challenges with import items such as Bananas, Citrus, blueberries, asparagus, sweet onions, mangoes, cotton candy grapes, and a few other items
Hurricane Helene: Although the storm brought widespread damage to Georgia and the Carolinas it appears that the majority of current growing areas were spared any significant losses. We may see some scarring and mild quality defects over the next month on some of the eastern vegetables including squash, pepper, and eggplant,
Berries
Strawberries: Please read and react to this update it is very important… no stores should be ordering excessive amounts of Strawberries at this point. California is the only available growing region and will carry through us though the fall but, this is the time of year when it critical to reduce allocation and order for quick turns... delivery to delivery!!! Berry shelf life will not exceed a couple days. Please do not over order to cherry pick or request credit on slightly bruised berries… there are no perfect berries this time of year. Sell what you can but do not over merchandise or over order. Stores that are over ordering and requesting excessive credit this late in the season will be prorated.
Mixed Berries: Blackberry volumes have increased out of Mexico…. we expect promotable volume this month. Raspberries are in good supply and also harvesting in Mexico.
Blueberries: Extremely tight as there was a delayed container last week causing a gap. This week the port strikes will impact the industry’s ability to receive import product and with blueberries being short already we expect prorations
Citrus
Minneola: Done until the beginning of 2025
Clementines: Imports have begun from Morocco and Chile. Sizing profile is smaller than normal this year and as we head toward the end of the import deal we may see a short gap as a result of supply and potential port issues,
Navel Oranges: Supplies extremely tight and expected to gap in the end of October
Lemons: product is currently coming from Argentina
Limes: Mexican supplies have loosened, and more supply has become available
Grapes: California harvest is in full swing. Heat has caused some minor coloring and brix level issues but product sizing and supply is excellent. We are receiving Holiday and cotton candy varieties in the next week
Apples: The new crop apples are available except for Cosmic crisp which we expect in two weeks. Washington is expecting a smaller crop than last year. Honeycrisp volume estimates put the crop down 30% year over year
Asparagus: Peruvian supplies are tight, and prices are elevated. We expect some relief in mid-October when Mexico begins
Avocados: Supply has improved, and markets are stable
Cantaloupe and Honeydew: Eastern Cantaloupes have had a challenging season as heat and rain across the region have caused quality and yield issues. We are currently pulling from California, and it appears that deal will be the best option for the remainder of the season.
Eastern Veg
Green Peppers: Steady supplies New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Green Beans: Steady supplies in New York & Michigan
Zucchini and Yellow squash: Supplies of Yellow squash are improving, Zucchini is plentiful. Harvest has begun in Georgia
Corn: Tray pack only available
Green Cabbage: Good supplies in New York, transitioning to Tennessee and Georgia in the next ten days
Cucumbers: Steady Supplies New York & Michigan.
Hothouse
Beefsteak and TOV: Mexican harvest has begun and supplies have improved. We expect promotional opportunities for the next few months.
Nature Sweet Snacking tomatoes: Good supply on all items
Colored Peppers: Strong supplies, overlapping harvests in Canada and Mexico along with solid supplies of field peppers has produced a pepper glut with promotional opportunities through beginning of November
Cukes/mini cukes: Demand far exceeds supply. Product is very short with new crop still months away in Mexico. Although quality of both cukes and minis is very good to excellent almost every shipper is working hand-to-mouth and cleaning their inventories daily. We expect orders to be Pro-rated for a few more weeks
Lettuces and Leafy Greens: Quality is good on the iceberg and Romaine hearts.
We still have a handful of stores taking invalid credit on Iceberg and Romaine hearts. Rib discoloration does not mean product is out of grade and if only cap leaves are affected credit is not appropriate... The quality evaluation on all lettuce needs to follow two criteria and credit should not be requested if one of these things is not present:
1. Decay
2. Discoloration affecting the product deeper than the first three leaves If it is just brown or pink discoloration on the bottom of the iceberg head it is in tolerance and credit should not be requested.
Limes: Supplies have improved, and the market prices have normalized
Melon: Watermelon cartons out of South Carolina in good supply. We expect the offshore deal to begin this month, mini watermelon will start towards the end of November
Mango- We expect the supply to improve in the next 10 days as Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador all have begun their export season. Honey mangoes should also be available in the next two weeks
Onions: Northwest onion deal has started. New crop supplies are plentiful, quality is good. We are currently receiving sweet onions from Peru and may experience some challenges if the port strike persists
Pears: Out of Washington state, Bartlett supplies have increased over the past month. Quality has been variable with occasional scarring due to high winds in the spring and summer. Bosc and Anjou markets are expected to remain strong throughout the season. Shippers are reporting yields to be down as much as 50-60% due to the deep freeze in early in the year.
Potatoes: Russet volumes have ramped up over the last few weeks. All Northwest regions are in full harvest, shippers have reported limited availability on the smaller sizes which may drive prices up in the coming weeks
Stone fruit: California will be the primary region for stone fruit for the rest of the season and should harvest through September on plums and peaches, nectarines and white flesh fruit are done
