Weekly Market Rundown

We’ve missed you! As we gear up and hit the ground running for our Local season, we still see ideal growing conditions on the West Coast in California with excellent quality and good supply on all row crops. We’re still seeing East Coast tomatoes tighten and expect some varieties affected more so than others. But…good news: the LIME market is improving; and just in time right?

West Coast:

Row crop looking GREAT! Green and Red Leaf, along with Romaine and Romaine Hearts. Iceberg is looking great but. we are seeing an up pull in demand which is escalating some pricing.

Red Peppers: EXCELLENT out of Coachella

Yellow Peppers: Quality is outstanding, BUT..markets have tightened back up as the season winds down out of Nogales and we move into Baja and Coachella.

Strawberries: We’re seeing unfavourable weather affecting our crops negatively with heavy winds and cool temperatures. Production will remain low next week however we expect a gradual uptrend thereafter.

Blueberries: We’re seeing steady supply out of Mexico however we are winding down and entering Baja production coupled with production out of the East Coast.

Blackberries/Raspberries: We are expecting a production gap which will likely escalate prices as we move from Mexico to Baja; however we are seeing some challenges with weather.

Navel Oranges. Fruit is tasting fantastic, however we are seeing tighter inventory being held as fruit is a bit softer earlier in the season and this is a natural occurrence as the fruit hits optimal maturity levels.

Limes: Improving on all sizes, but we are seeing some substitutions in pack sizes being shipped from growers. However we do expect more consistent sizing production come out for the end of June.

STONE FRUIT: California is looking great right now!

East Coast:

Tomatoes: Rounds, Romas, Grapes, Cherry will be closely monitored as demand still increasing coupled with supply gradually decreasing this past week as we have transitioned over to South GA. We’ll be awaiting new crop over the coming weeks with quality and ripeness being mixed. The same goes for product out of Mexico.

Transportation: 

Freight rates continue to rise and we aren’t seeing any relief with regards to transportation as demand continues to climb. The demand for trucks and drivers as more and more are needed for the transport of vaccines and COVID-19 related supplies across the US and Canada which has of course affected freight rates of our perishables. We and our partner distributors in the US continue to work and negotiate the best rates with reliable companies and hope you understand the challenges faced with this aspect in the supply chain.

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Good Buy

Cantaloupes! We’re seeing some really good early quality with excellent shell colour and great internal characteristics. Wrap in some cured hams as a refreshing starter!

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LOCAL…We’ve got some new selections below and we can’t wait for the season to build with more!

Purple Asparagus…What a compliment beside your Green and White selections! Keep in mind that the colour WILL dilute if you blanch these!

Rhubarb…Flying off the shelves!

Black Garlic…There’s Garlic, and then there’s Black Garlic…from Ontario no doubt

Green Asparagus…Get them while you can!

Cool Imports…

Harry’s Berries…We are going ONE MORE ROUND on this most likely…and this is first come, first serve however…please keep in mind these are READY-TO-EAT.

AGRETTI…aka Monk’s Beard, aka Salsola Soda! It’s ba

Apricots…California Stonefruit is coming in hot! Plums are next! And this gets us even more excited as we await local Stonefruit. But enjoy these California product while you can as the quality is great right now.

Artichokes…Available now! Out of California, a summer favourite and quality is looking EXCELLENT. How do you enjoy them?

Cotton Candy Grapes…The grape that just makes you feel like you bit into a Gushers candy…but these ones are healthy!

And of course…don’t ever hesitate to reach out! Contact your Account Manager, email us at support@bondiproduce.com, and yes ALWAYS slide into the DMs.

 

BROCCOLINI

We’re seeing some challenges with lighter supplies with markets being short for the next 7-10 days. And we expect prices to escalate into next week if demand continues.

 

CARROTS

Quality is great however Large to Jumbo size carrots are a concern due to supply volume. We’ve seen snack-pack sizes improve dramatically over the past two weeks.

 

AVOCADOS

Mexico’s harvest has stopped due to market conditions and this could significantly impact markets depending on the length. We will be relying on Peru and California crop but we are expecting a 20% decline in production due to weather.

 

TOMATOES

Romas are seeing some active markets due to continued demand coupled with declining supplies. Grape and Cherry Tomatoes will have extremely limited supply as we await Georgia and South Carolina to begin their harvests; so we do expect some pricing escalation.