Tuesday’s visit out to the local stores gave an interesting look into what retailers are promoting for the Easter weekend, and what is happening in the overall market for springtime. Experts are observing that trucks are tighter than normal due to the Easter pull and the transition of product from the Yuma area to Salinas Valley.

Here’s what we saw this month:

Grapes – both green and red seedless supplies are available in ample volumes, with Chile dominating the market at the moment. Experts note that the green grape market continues to firm up with a wide range of both price and quality available. The market will continue to strengthen in the short term as less good quality fruit becomes available. Red seedless grapes market continues to be steady with supplies being adequate to meet demand. Experts also indicate that the effects of the late season storms in Chile have yet to be felt locally as all fruit now available was shipped prior to the rain event. Supplies and quality in mid to late April will likely show the effects of these rains.

Canadian hot house – we are now seeing an abundance of greenhouse grown produce from Canadian growers in grocery stores, after flourishing under glass through the winter. Tomatoes, bell peppers, and English cucumbers were all showing local presence. This year, BC alone has 765 acres of greenhouse glass growing year round veggies. Quality and supplies both look great and are keeping up with demand. This is balancing out product coming from Mexico, where rain during the growing cycle has affected quality and lighter supplies due to less harvesting occurring due to Holy week.

Tropical Fruit – many retailers are heavily promoting tropical products such as mangos, pineapples, and papayas for the long weekend and beyond. Pineapple movement is expected to remain about the same for the current week, with quality noted as generally good. The mango market continues to be dominated by product from Mexico, with quality and conditions noted as variable. Ataulfos are in ample supply, and Mexico crossings are also now including light volume of haden and tommy atkin varieties. As for papayas, movement is also expected to be about the same for the next few weeks, with quality and condition variable from Mexico and good from central America and brazil.

So, that’s what’s in stores for the start of spring! Remember, you can always contact our sales team  if you would like to discuss any changes to buying patterns, introduction of new crops, and how we can help you with your operations and shifts in truck capacity.

We wish everyone a great Easter long weekend with some Spring produce favorites finding their way on to your table!