This week’s visit out to the local stores showed some great promotions at store level, with retailers taking advantage of consumers’ enjoyment of fresh produce in the summer, especially with hot weather we have been experiencing lately. Reports note that a strong high pressure ridge building out west will bring a substantial warm up to the entire western region into the weekend. Local harvest is fully underway, and fields are busy being picked to take advantage of the favorable weather conditions. Looking at the weather on a national level, a monsoonal flow is set to increase shower activity across Mexico this week, with above average temperatures and scattered showers forecasted for the following week. In the interior regions of California, hot temperatures are forecasted for the next two weeks. Florida will its regular seasonal showers (rain heavy at some times) and thunderstorms. On the trucking side, California trucks remain steady again this week. WA Apple trucks remain steady as well, with many carriers pulling off long haul to focus on the Washington harvest season. Here’s some details on the top 4 commodity updates:
Mangos
Mexico remains to be the dominant origin. Suppliers are not meeting demand, as we are also seeing product from Israel on the store shelves. Imports from the Caribbean are not an option as there are too few supplies to establish a market. Mexico shipments are coming trough Nogales, AZ and Pharr, TX at relatively the same volume reported. Many retailers and distributors are noting that the shipments arriving at the market are only in fair condition.
Avocados
Mexican product was also dominating at the retail level. Some retailers were also stocking Peruvian product to account for a lack in supply. The small supply can be credited to Mexico’s summer crop is starting slowly. Reports note that volumes should increase in the coming weeks. Size is peaking on 60s and smaller; limited amounts of 48s and larger fruit is available. Mexican growers have raised their field prices so we may see an increase in price at the store level in the coming weeks due to the smaller supply and hike in field price. Reports also note that the new Mexican summer crop is noted as good, has a lower maturity level and will take longer to ripen.
Field Tomatoes
The quality of field tomatoes at the store level is lower than normal. The dominant varieties of fields in the stores were Romas and Beefsteak. Reports note that the market in California has tightened up this week due to a reduction in yields from extreme temperatures. Furthermore, Mexico has had a lot of rain as hurricane Hillary churns out multiple rain systems into parts of Baja and mainland Mexico; this has created a strong national market south of our border. Less product is crossing into the States, and experts note that Romas are selling out daily which is driving the price up.
Cherries
Local stores are fully stocked with cherries from both Washington and the Canadian Okanagan region. Quality of the product looks great. Reports note that cherry season is rapidly ending in the Pacific Northwest, with some shippers already finishing for the season and most others wrapping up within the next two weeks. Data shows that these late-season cherries account for more than one third of the total season’s sales, so retailers can expect many consumers to be purchasing in the next three weeks.
So, that’s the top 4 commodity updates that we have for July. Remember, you can always contact our sales team to discuss any of these noted changes to buying patterns, expectations and demand for new crops. We are ready to help you with your operations and shifts in truck capacity!