Weather Update
California – Strong Santa Ana winds to start Wednesday with maximum wind gusts up to 50 mph. High pressure continues causing above average highs and below average lows through the weekend.
Mexico – No major changes to the forecast with daytime highs in the 70s with morning lows in the upper 30s to upper 40s. No rain anticipated over the next 5 days.
Florida – Overnight lows in the upper 20s to low 30s expected and then warming Thursday and Friday with moderate to heavy showers into Saturday morning.
Arizona – Wind gusts up to 35-40 mph with a cooling trend that may cause lettuce-ice this Friday. Minor warming Saturday into Sunday as high pressure slowly rebuilds.
Freight Update
Trucks remain tight in Idaho and the Northwest. Trucks in CA are steady. The National Average is up slightly this week to 2.502 per gallon.
Things You Should Know
Apples: Smaller size lower grade apples very tight. Larger nicer apples prices steady.
Asparagus: Plenty of supplies coming out of Mexico and Peru is keeping the Asparagus market aggressive.
Avocados: Market is steady and demand is good. Current size structure peaking on 60’s. Strong harvest out of Mexico with plenty of opportunities on volume deals.
Bell Peppers: Red and Yellow bells will be starting to cross soon through Nogales and we will see markets lower as production ramps up.
Berries (Blackberries): Plenty of product coming out of Mexico and being distributed to the West Coast facilities as well as the Eastern Seaboard.
Berries (Blueberries): Imports are coming in through Texas and boat containers on the West and East coast plenty of promotable volume.
Berries (Raspberries): Plenty of product coming out of Mexico and being distributed to the West Coast facilities as well as the Eastern Seaboard. Baja is also producing good numbers and volume deals are in the San Diego area.
Berries (Strawberries): Very light demand and increasing numbers from multiple growing areas are causing the market to decline. Quality is best in Oxnard and Mexico at this time.
Broccoli: Broccoli supplies continue to improve in all areas and adjusting this market downward. Quality and supplies are both improving.
Brussels Sprouts: Tighter supplies has been keeping this market strong. Look for the market to adjust downward going into the weekend.
Carrots: The carrot market remains steady with the snack pak SKU remaining tight. We will be transitioning into the Bakersfield area in a couple weeks.
Cauliflower: Cauliflower supplies are improving in all areas causing this market to go down. Look for this market to continue to adjust lower.
Celery: Steady supplies and good quality continues to be the story with this commodity in Santa Maria/Oxnard. Shippers are looking for movement on large volume type orders so please promote as much as possible. Most suppliers are flexing on this commodity.
Citrus (Lemons): Supplies and quality is looking steady on small sizes. 115’s and larger are holding firm due to retail pull. Please reach out for any advance prices.
Citrus (Limes): Supplies are slowly improving. Markets are slightly backing off. Please place orders with lead time.
Citrus (Oranges): Navel supplies are looking good on 88’s and smaller. 72’s and larger is holding firm on markets due to retail pull. Quality is still looking really nice. Please reach out for any advance prices.
Cucumbers: Good supplies and quality – opportunity buys available across the board!
Eggplant: Good supplies on all sizes 18/24/32ct- be cautious on old product as movement has been slow.
Garlic: Steady supplies keeping this market level.
Grapes (Green): Adequate supplies on domestic greens still. Domestic market up slightly. Imports have started in a small way at substantially higher prices.
Grapes (Red): Still plenty of domestic wide range in quality and price. Market up slightly. Imports should start next week.
Green Onions: Plenty of supplies continue and is keeping the Green Onion market steady.
Kale: Steady supplies continue to keep this market steady.
Lettuce (Iceberg): Demand has fallen off after the turkey holiday, and suppliers are flexing. Expect steady supplies for the entire week. The weights have picked up ,averaging 40-43 pounds with multiple shippers. All value added lettuce items are off escalated pricing.
Lettuce Leaf: Romaine, as well as romaine hearts, green and red leaf is softer in the marketplace. Although romaine value added items are still escalated, expect the escalation to come off by Thursday of this week. Supplies are expected to be above average for the entire week on all leaf items. Fringe and tip burn has been minimal with multiple shippers. The weather conditions in Yuma continues to be favorable for growing conditions.
Lettuce Tender Leaf: Market and supplies continue to stay steady on Spinach and Arugula. Curly Parsley market continues to have strength.
Melons (Cantalope): The 2020 domestic cantaloupe season has concluded. Currently, the industry is seeing a stronger market on offshore arrivals. Quality will be hit-and-miss due to recent storms that devastated Central America. We do anticipate a shortage of fruit in the coming weeks. Honduras will provide some relief come January when production is expected to ramp up. We anticipate a strong market for the month of December and limited availability. Current USDA Daily Movement Report indicates cantaloupes are down 12% year over year.
Melons (Honeydew): Growers in the desert have concluded their 2020 season. Offshore arrivals have hit the US in a light way. Current size structure peaking on 5s/J5s. Smaller sized fruit is very limited but we do have options. Quality will be hit and miss for the month of December due to recent storms. Look for the honeydew market to strengthen going into the weekend. Current USDA Daily Movement Report indicates honeydews are down 17% year over year.
Melons (Watermelon): Demand is very good and markets are slightly higher. Quality is suspect but should see improvements by mid-December. Mini seedless are limited and in high demand.
Onions: Onions are a steady go The Northwest is still shipping out of storage. Quality is excellent. Deals available on large sized yellow onions in Idaho. Call for these deals.
Pears: Good quality peaking on the larger sizes. Small lower grade pears in tight supply.
Pineapples: Supplies are steady out of both coasts. Current markets are stable and quality is looking nice. Reach out for any opportunities.
Potatoes: Idaho has begun shipping storage. Burbanks, which have undergone the sweat process, are available but limited and at an upcharge. Quality is excellent, peaking on 70 CT cartons. Call for more info.
Squash: Good supplies on zucchini and good quality. Seeing a little more production on yellow squash coming in, however markets have not yet reacted.
Stone Fruit: Imports should start in 2-3 weeks.
Tomatoes: Harvest volumes are light but supply is sufficient for demand. Central Florida is transitioning further south and Mexico will be harvesting new farms in the next couple of weeks. Size is trending smaller and XL fruit is very short. Rounds are down a dollar or two but romas, grape and cherry tomato pricing has returned to seasonal norms.
