DLJ Produce

Table Grapes

Red Seedless

We have reached the home stretch. The last break bulk vessel has been received post-marketing order and will signal the final arrivals of Chilean red seedless for the season. Varieties include Crimson, Allison and Timco here at the finish. Quality will be the biggest focus, as all fruit is post rain and expected to show some variance in quality. A split market will remain until weaker lots are cleaned up and inventories start to tighten, but the first couple weeks of May will likely see a much stronger market with increasing FOBs. Good fruit that has arrived will need to carry into mid May or possibly later, as Mexico and Coachella are expected to be increasingly late on start dates. This will create good demand for good red seedless from Chile in May..

Green Seedless

Done deal. The rains took its toll and the inventory that typically remains in late April / early May is non-existent. Weaker arrival volume has created a demand-exceeds market on green seedless. Any green remaining from South America is worth its weight in gold. Pushed back harvest dates from Coachella and Mexico will only fuel the fire more, as a definite gap is anticipated between the weak Chilean finish and start of volume from Mexico. Avoid promoting as it will be tough to cover green seedless in consistent supply until new crop starts in volume.

Black Seedless

Light supplies of black seedless remain on the West Coast, but expect these to start cleaning up over the next 7 – 10 days and leave a relatively clean pipeline by mid-May. Fruit quality is seeing the same issues present in the green and reds. Expect black supplies to continue, with FOB’s staying relatively stable just trying to finish out the crop on a high note. The East Coast is seeing more availability then the West, but Mexico is not anticipating a starting harvest until late-May.

Red Globe

Peru is done for the season. Light supplies of Chilean arrivals will carry the industry for the next 2 – 3 weeks. Supplies will be lighter then typical due to rains. This will keep FOB’s stable and help finish out the crop before June. This will also create a gap before Mexico begins harvest on globes.

Tree Fruit Central CA

Peaches/ Nectarines/ Apricots

The time is here! Early early varieties of both yellow peach and yellow nectarine began harvest in a very limited way last week. A few white peaches also began harvest. The earliest stone fruit will come from both Kettlemen and Arvin regions. Supplies are expected to be limited all this week on all varieties, with first harvest peaking on 64’s and 72’s size, with only a small amount of 56’s. This will remain the same, with size slowly picking up. Volume is expected to remain light and not bring on the full momentum of the crop until mid-May once Central CA growers begin harvest. Apricots will be slow this week, but start picking fast by the second week of May and bring good volume this year.

Cherries

The crop is officially underway, if you are exporting to Asia. Some very light harvests have begun in the southern San Joaquin Valley. Supplies are going to remain light, with FOB’s insanely high and being focused mainly on export market. A few additional growers will start picking this week, but still in light volume. Supplies will pick up each week, slowly dropping FOB’s. Volume will hit the week of 5/10 and especially 5/17 once all growing regions come on line and bring in the artillery of volume. Rains are predicted this weekend, which could hose up everything