DLJ Produce

Table Grapes

Red Seedless

We have reached the end of the CA red grape crop. Demand will exceed supply for the remainder of the crop, as only a small number of totes remain left to pack in the industry. Quality is the biggest concern, as all the weather took its toll on the both the quality and volume of the late season crop. Hold onto your hats, as FOB’s jump for good fruit that will make delivery. The East Coast will see a small amount of imports starting from Peru, but it will not enough to keep the pipeline full and a very short market is expected going into the holidays. Avoid ad promotion, as FOB’s will remain high and fruit will be limited until import product arrives in better volume in January on both coasts.

Green Seedless

The remainder of the green seedless crop from CA is in better shape then the reds. Quality has remained better then the red seedless up to the end, with isolated issues but still fairing the weather better. Most growers have finished, with tote packing still remaining prevalent. Expect supplies of CA fruit to carry for the next 10 – 14 days before we start to see a quick finish. New arrivals from Peru have started on the East, being transferred to the West and should prove little to no gap. Expect FOB’s to firm slightly, as domestic growers compare to the high FOB’s of the start of the import crop.

Black Seedless

We are reaching the end of the CA crop. Some supplies of Autumn Royal remain, but limited and starting to see the same quality concerns as the red grape crop. Minimal supplies will stretch for the next 7 – 10 days. Expect to see a small gap, as the first Chilean fruit is not expected to the West Coast until mid-January. This will provide some time to regroup and come in strong with fresh black seedless.

Red Globe

The domestic crop is virtually done, with everything in the barn and only small amounts of fruit left to ship for the season. Growers will be hand to mouth at the finish here to clean up the crop. Peru has started, but also looks to remain very limited on the West Coast due to shipping logistics. Better supplies will be available on the East. Time to transition to imports, but expect West Coast supplies to be very limited and gappy between vessel arrivals.

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Tree Fruit – Imports

Cherries

Argentina will be the main game on both coasts for availability and quality, as we progress through the import cherry crop. More reliant then others, focus has been on Argentina. Chile has been facing massive issues to export cherries by air, mostly due to extremely high costs as well as extremely limited air flight space on planes. The snow ball has affected both coasts, with cherry availability much lighter then historical averages during this time period. Still, supplies of both countries of origin will remain in light supplies for the remainder of December. Expect most to arrive to the East airports, then transload to fly to the West at higher cost. The first vessel arrival of cherry is not expected until late December on the East Coast, killing any chance for cheaper cherry ad volume going into Christmas. Also, Rainiers remain extremely tight to lack of arrivals from Chile.

Peaches / Nectarines

The stone fruit season is almost upon us. No air arrivals yet on stone fruit, but the first apricots are nearing harvest and will be flown to the US. Air flight costs may completely hinder anyone flying a promotable volume of peach or nectarine to the US, so the first noticeable arrivals of stone fruit will not hit until late December on the first Chilean vessel to the East Coast.

DLJ Produce is home to the finest and freshest produce nationwide. Our customers depend on our produce 365 days a year coast to coast. If you want to discuss fruits, vegetables, cold storage, organic produce or simply want to chat, give us a call today.