Conventional Items

Lettuce

Reduced Summer acreage combined with declining quality brought on by an increase in insect and disease pressure has diminished overall available volume. While demand remains mostly steady , prices have been climbing higher causing a disconnect with buyers.  This scenario should continue to play out throughout the summer if temperatures continue to intermittently spike.  Growers continue to trim most damage at field level resulting in a range of color and texture.

Leaf Lettuce

Romaine and Romaine Hearts  Romaine supplies continue to be moderate matching demand . Similar quality issues as iceberg are beginning to surface on leaf as well reducing overall volume and keeping prices fairly firm. Diminished labor force continues to sporadically hamper Romaine Heart production although there remains a wider range of pricing among shippers. Quality issues are mostly being trimmed at field level.

Red leaf, Green leaf and Boston  Demand on Leaf remains mild as eastern Homegrown supplies remain sufficient even with inclement weather on the East Coast. .  Expect markets to remain at deflated current levels through the end of the month.

Celery

Pricing has seemed to stabilize at current trading levels in both Santa Maria and Salinas. Santa Maria is quoting $1.00 – $2.00 lower than most out of Salina. Most shippers are heavy to size 24 and that is the size they are willing to make some deals on. Run your offers by us.

Artichokes

Heirloom and Original varieties from Central Coast production areas have finished for the season with the predominantly larger sized Thornless varieties available at value pricing.

Broccoli

Lighter availability out of both Santa Maria and Salinas especially on crown cuts. Harvest volume is predicted to be lighter than normal for this time of year and this issue will remain going into next week. Shippers are saying that they are running into quality issues with branchier products, knuckle domes and some pin rot issues.

Cauliflower

Slightly lighter supplies are forecasted for the remainder of the week and going into next week. Prices have increased slightly over the last few days and we could see higher prices going into next week.

Brussels Sprouts

Production from Mexico has mostly finished while supplies from Northern California production areas are set to increase in coming weeks. Prices are expected to ease with any increase in production as demand remains moderate .

Green Onions

Mexico production remains steady although reduced summer plantings are expected to lighten supplies moving forward.  Quality has shown improvement over the past couple weeks

Strawberries

As the growing areas in Salinas and Watsonville move past the peak of production, the yields are significantly lower. Receivers may see more quality issues on arrival, especially with older-crop fruit due to the warmer summer weather patterns. Markets are steady but will continue to climb as supplies tighten up later in the month. Santa Maria fall-crop fruit is still a few weeks away. Santa Maria, California is forecast for partly sunny skies with highs in the low 70s and lows in the 50s. Salinas/Watsonville, California is forecast for partly sunny skies, becoming mostly cloudy on Sunday, with highs in the low 70s, decreasing to the 60s on Sunday, and lows in the 50s. Santa Maria, California fruit has bruising, soft shoulders, overripe and dry or discolored calyx. Average counts are 22 to 24, occasionally higher and lower.

Blackberries

Supplies continue to increase as California comes into volume, North Carolina starts, and Guatemala pushes volume to the U.S. Promotional numbers will be available the next few weeks.

Raspberries

Good supplies on organic but conventional supplies are still light this week. Very good quality!

Blueberries

Michigan/British Columbia are ramping up, with Oregon rebounding after stripping due to heat-related issues the past two weeks. Good supplies for the next 4 weeks!

Stone Fruit

Lighter volumes of yellow peaches this week although production has been steady. Good volume on yellow nectarines for the next few weeks. Quality has been very nice. Red plum production is ramping up and we expect good volume for the next few weeks. Good volumes of Black Plums expected this week and next and shippers are looking to move product. Overall quality has been very good with very few issues to report.

Grapes

Summer grape varieties are now available in good supplies out of the California San Joaquin Valley. Good supplies of red, green, black, and specialty varieties and shippers are looking to move. Both carton and styro along with clam shells are available. Quality and condition is very good this season.

Citrus

Oranges – Stronger markets this week on all sizes and the season is starting to wind down. Late season navels are the main variety at this point and sizes are peaking on 72ct and 88ct fruit. Small sizes will continue to be tight. Offshore navels are starting to arrive on the west, although mostly large sizing.

Quality has been mixed on late season navels.

Lemons – Tight supplies continue. Volumes are slightly better this week compared to the past few weeks, but we are still in a demand exceeds supply scenario. Large sizes are the tightest. Supplies will likely improve as more Chilean product is arriving and Mexican product is gaining momentum as well. Large lemons will continue to be tight into August.

Limes – Rain continues to be a factor in Mexican growing areas. Sizes are peaking on 175ct and 200ct. Demand has been steady, and supplies have mostly bee keeping up with demand. Quality issues include oil spots and blanching.

Cantaloupes

As forecasted last week, promotional shipping kicked in this week improving demand. As not forecasted supplies have also dropped. After tapping the first fields of this season, extreme heat seems to have stunted the growth of the next fields creating an intra-seasonal mini-gap. Prices started to rise in reaction to his finally by mid-week. Sizes peaked on 9s with some 12s and jbo 9s. Quality overall remains good. Next week we could see a reversal of this trend. Promotional shipping should end by the weekend. The mini-gap should start to be filled next week, if not be Monday by midweek and prices should come down accordingly.

Honeydews

Honeydew supplies have also ebbed a bit in response to the extreme heat as well. But there are no robust retail promotional activity so demand has not changed much. Discounting and below market prices began to disappear this week and the prices firmed but only rose a bit. Sizes continued to peak on 5s with some 6s and adequate jumbo 5s. Next week, as with lopes we should see an increase in supplies. Demand should remain steady. Prices accordingly should stay relatively steady but with increased discounted deals available.

Mix Melons

No real change. A decent supply of varieties and sizes are available. Demand is steady. Crenshaw melons are snug as fewer are planted this year, as has been the trend for the past couple of seasons. Crenshaws are difficult to grow and drought is pressuring growers to cut down generally on acreage plated. Market looks to be steady next week.

Dry Onions

New Mexico has finally straighten it self out from the weather pattern they have been in and are shipping above average onions…both reds and yellow. There are some very good deals on 50# med reds. California – We’re paying more for transportation than we are for onions. The jobbing market on most terminals has finally gone up and the consumer is barely noticing the increase as demand remains steady. Reds are still tight and are in good demand. I really thought the yellow market was going up last week but the trucking market is holding it back.

Asparagus

The market is very cheap right now with promotable pricing and will be staying down for a few more weeks. The demand for small and standard has decreased, as it does every year about this time and should be back to normal supplies going forward.

Organic Items

OG Broccoli & Cauliflower

Cauliflower and Broccoli   Production has diminished with reduced yields on Broccoli and Cauliflower . Demand however , continues to be relatively steady with Local Homegrown production peaking . Diminished quality  from past heat related events including increased insect pressure continue to hamper production as well

OG Herbs & Bunch Greens

Availability and pricing appear to be mostly steady as well as demand. Quality remains good from the Northern production areas with an occasional sporadic shortage among growers. Cilantro appears to be the most severely affected by recent heat events

OG Root Vegetables

Carrot Production has been steady and demand continues to be strong. Most growers have been reaching for supplies . Continue to plan ahead to get full coverage. Damaged tops are expected from the heat.

Potato and Onions . New crop Production has begun from Southern California production areas as prices have moderated.

OG Leaf and Iceberg Lettuce

Leaf, Iceberg & Romaine   Currently prices on Romaine and Hearts remain a value for now but excessive heat will likely affect quality.  Green and Red leaf  supplies remain affordable as well for now.

OG Citrus

Lemons, Oranges, Limes and Grapefruit Strong demand throughout the entire Citrus category due to strong retail sales and revived foodservice activity. California lemon crop is tight with limited domestic production especially on Fancy grade. Mexico is expected to resume later this month.  Lime quality has shown improvement but remains inconsistent as well as supplies,  Valencia production has improved although sizing remains somewhat small which is ideal for bags. Grapefruit supplies remain steady along with demand.

OG Melons

California :  Cantaloupe , Honeydews, Galias and mini Watermelon production has peaked with steady demand . So far quality remains nice as growers continue to monitor younger plantings.  Supplies are likely to remain moderate for a couple weeks . Drought conditions throughout the state, especially the Central Valley, will impact supplies as we get deeper into the Summer months especially if temperatures continue to surge over 100 .

OG Grapes

Green & Red :  Supplies of BOTH Red and Green varieties have improved as the market Transitions to the Central Valley of California. Prices have adjusted and are likely to settle at current levels given the water and labor situation throughout the state.

OG Stone Fruit

California  :  Stone fruit season continues for a few more weeks with good supplies and excellent flavor from the Central Valley . Apricot , Nectarines, Peaches and Plums are all available.