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JANUARY 8 - JANUARY 15, 2015 | WEEK 2
ORGANIC MARKET NEWS
OG SALADS SLOWED BY COLD SNAP
The Organic Salad forecast continues to be bleak as shippers have
experienced cold weather and freezing.
For the early part of the winter growing season the weather was unseasonably warm. For the last ten days, however, the region has experienced a significant cold spell that is having an impact on supplies and
quality. The lows have been at or below freezing, with the highs not
getting much above fifty eight-degrees. This weather has interrupted
the growth cycle, and has caused some burn damage. As a result, we
are looking at a significant reduction in required supplies on tender
leaf items for the next two weeks at a minimum.
Source: organicgirl salads
Organic Salads from shippers like Earthbound Farms, Olivia’s Organics, and organicgirl continue to be in very high demand during
Diet Season. Couple this with the supply issues mentioned above
and you can expect some prorates and occasional out of stocks this
month. Shippers are canceling ad promotions for the next several
weeks and limiting their 11 oz. and 16 oz. packs so that the 5 oz.
clamshells can be filled at a higher rate.
....................................................
OG KALE
OG TOMATOES
OG LETTUCE
Most Organic Kale shippers out West are
reporting light growth due to cold weather.
Prices have moved up each day this week.
Demand for Organic Kale is tremendous right
now.
Organic Round Tomatoes are in good supply
at this time out of Florida and Mexico. Mexico
produce is cheaper, but quality is better out
of Florida. Florida harvests may be affected
next week due to a cold snap. Organic Roma
Tomatoes are in very good supply out of Florida and Mexico.
Organic Red and Green Leaf Lettuce supplies
are much tighter out of Florida this week. California growers are reporting adequate supplies, however the quality will not be as nice
as what we’ve seen from Lady Moon Farms
in Florida.
Organic Grape Tomatoes out of Lady Moon
Farms in Florida are in good supply, but
should slowdown somewhat in mid-January.
Pricing should remain the same.
Organic Romaine Lettuce is in adequate supply out of Florida, but more limited out West
due to the cold.
Organic Cherry Tomatoes from Lady Moon
Farms are in abundant supply out of Florida. Now is a good time to promote! Organic
Rainbow Cherry Tomatoes will be very limited until 1/14.
Organic Red and Green Butter Lettuces are in
good supply from Florida.
Florida Organic Kale is somewhat limited at
this time. The cold air dipping into the Southeast is going to slow Florida production next
week.
Organic Lacinato Kale is in good supply out
of California, but limited out of Florida. Organic Red Kale is limited out of both regions.
JANUARY 8 - JANUARY 15, 2015 | WEEK 2
OG BLACKBERRIES
OG BLUEBERRIES & RASPBERRIES
OG STRAWBERRIES
Mexican Organic Blackberries continue to be
in good supply after a small harvest interruption during the holidays.
Chilean Organic Blueberries continue to be
extremely limited with high and rising prices.
Mexican Organic Raspberries continue to be
very firm with strong markets.
The limited supplies of Organic Strawberries
out of Florida and Mexico are now competing
with California product, so prices may ease
down as supplies ramp up. Overall, Organic
Strawberries remain pricey.
OG PERUVIAN GRAPES
OG BROCCOLI
OG WASHINGTON PEARS
The first arrival of Red Globe Seeded Grapes
have arrived. They will be limited, but available for the next few weeks going into February.
Organic Broccoli prices have spiked in California from Diet Season demand and light
growth due to cold temps. Organic Broccoli
Crowns are tighter as well.
Organic Anjou Pears are extremely tight as
we move into the final 8 week stretch of domestic pears. Expect limited releases of fruit
at high prices from grower shippers.
Organic Red and Green Seedless Grapes
are winding down for the season and are expected to finish up over the next 1-2 weeks.
Expect these higher markets to last about 10
days. Pricing will then not come down to what
we saw in December, yet will be more moderate.
Organic Bosc Pears are the most limited variety with the highest prices.
OG CUCUMBERS
OG POTATOES
.............
.............
OG LEMONS & LIMES
We expect to see firm but steady arrivals of
Organic Lemons in both 95 and 115 ct fancy
and choice grades. Bags will be tighter for the
next couple of weeks as larger fruit prevails.
Steady supplies of Organic Meyer Lemons
are available.
Organic Limes are in firm and steady supply,
with a little lighter color due to weather.
.............
.............
ALERT!
Organic Cucumbers continue to be very tight
out of Mexico and prices are high. Expect
Organic Cucumbers to be extremely limited
through January. Florida will begin to harvest small amounts of Organic Cucumbers in
in late January or early February, depending
on the weather.
Organic Hothouse Cucumbers are very tight
as well. There may be some out of Spain, but
that’s not apparent yet.
.............
Organic Red Anjou, Asian, and Concorde
Pears are firm but available.
.............
Organic Russet Potatoes, both count and
poly, will increase this week and is expected
to increase slightly as we continue into the new
year. We will see a short supply gap early
this week as some product arrived with freeze
damage and was not suitable quality to ship.
We will have more beautiful Organic Color
Potatoes out of Canada later in the week.
We have started with the Organic Cinacia
Fingerling Potato program out of Colorado
this week, ask you sales rep for more details
and aggressive prices!
JANUARY 8 - JANUARY 15, 2015 | WEEK 2
OG WASHINGTON APPLES
New crop Organic Autumn Glory Apples are
expected to arrive at the beginning of the week.
Make sure to try this fantastic new variety! This
year’s crop will be limited and prices will be high.
Check out their website for more info on this variety:
http://superfreshgrowers.com/our-fruit/apples/autumn-glory
OG CALIFORNIA CITRUS
OG FLORIDA CITRUS
NEW! California Organic Kumquats are expected at the beginning of the week in limited
supply.
Organic Hamlin Juice Oranges are limited
this week.
Organic Navel Oranges will experience a
short gap and be back at the beginning of
the week.
Organic Braeburn & Cameo Apples continue to
be firm, but steady.
Organic Cara Cara Oranges will have a small
weather related gap this week but good supplies are expected back sometime next week.
Organic Fuji, Gala, Gold, Piñata, and Red Delicious Apple supplies continue to tighten as we
move into CA (controlled atmosphere) storage fruit
and limited packing is taking place.
Organic Navel Orange markets are stronger after very cool weather and supplies are
more limited this week.
Organic Sunburst Tangerines are expected
to make their last quick appearance as they
finish for the season.
Organic Granny Smith and Pink Lady Apples
are the tightest of all varieties with markets rising
swiftly.
Organic Minneola Tangelos are now in good
supply.
Organic Orlando Tangelos are back in limited supply.
Organic Honeycrisp Apples are expected back
by the weekend from a limited packing run. Get
them while you can!
Organic Satsuma Mandarins are expected
to finish up this week with very limited supply.
Organic Jazz, Opal, and Pacific Rose Apples
are available in limited supply.
Organic Daisy Tangerines are in steady supply.
.............
OG GRAPEFRUIT
We are starting to see supplies of California
Organic Grapefruit improve after the holiday
shortage.
We expect to see Florida Organic Grapefruits
back by the middle of next week.
Texas Organic Grapefruit may have a small
gap before the next arrival.
.............
OG MANGOS
Organic Tommy Atkins Mangos are winding
down from Ecuador. We are expecting to ship
another week or two with Ecuador and everything is shaping up for a smooth transition to
Peruvian fruit.
We are also excited to partner up with Interupcion in shipping Peruvian FAIR TRADE
Organic Kent Mangos. The first shot of these
should hit the end of next week!
.............
OG HASS AVOCADOS
ALERT!
Organic Hass Avocados have become increasingly tight as demand has skyrocketed
from New Years and the Super Bowl fast
approaching. Quality has been great out of
Mexico, and supplies should be steadier following a few days gap this past week.
- Steady supplies of Organic Bananas are expected to continue
through the week. Importers appear
to be in better shape on organic
than conventional.
- Colder temperatures in Mexico
have affected the Organic Zucchini harvest this week. Florida
production is almost non-existant
at this point, but could incrase by
February.
- Organic Pineapples have been
in steady supply again. Quality has
been good.
- Organic Papaya volume has
slowed down considerably. Over
the next few months expect slight
gaps between shipments from
Hawaii.
- Organic Pomegranates will
finish up over the next couple of
days for the season.
- Mexican Organic Valencia Oranges are tightening up significantly as the early season finishes
and we wait for the next crop to
come in.
- The cold weather has pushed
back Organic Asparagus harvests and first yields yet again
out of Mexico. Projected date for
next significant volume is week of
Jan 20th.
..............
I N O T H E R N E W S. . .
- Italian Organic Clementines
are winding down for the season
in both gift boxes and pouches.
For more info on what’s
in season, check out
Organicproducegeek.com!
!
W
NE FRESH CUT OG & CV PRODUCTS
Contact your sales rep or merchandiser for more information!
.........................................................................
FAIR TRADE PRODUCE
ORGANIC BANANAS
08102 - OG Bananas Fair Trade #2 40 lb.
08103 - OG Bananas Fair Trade #3 40 lb.
08104 - OG Bananas Fair Trade #4 40 lb.
ORGANIC HASS Avocados
43132 – OG Avocado Fair Trade Mex OG 48 ct
ORGANIC grapes
44308 - OG Green SDLS Grapes Fair Trade Peru 18 lb.
43568 - OG Red SDLS Grapes Fair Trade Peru 18 lb.
43569 - Globe Grapes Fair Trade Peru 18 lb.
ORGANIC BLUEBERRIES
44903 - OG Blueberries Fair Trade Arg 12-4.4 oz.
BLUEBERRIES
10117 - CV Blueberries Fair Trade Chile 12/1 pt
SUPPLY ANNOUNCEMENT
Due to a recent freeze in
vegetable growing areas in
Yuma, Arizona and Southern
California, please pardon
occasional out of stocks on fresh
lettuces and packaged salads.
January 8, 2015
p
U
r
a
e
P
with
USA Pears
DISPLAY CONTEST
IT’S TIME TO PEAR UP!
1
How to Enter:
Build an
eye-catch
ing
display o
f Anjou, R
ed
Anjou, an
d Bosc US
A
Pears!
2
Keep your super cool
display up for at least
one week (7 days)
during January 15 –
March 31, 2015.
3
of your
a photo
it
m
b
u
S
ith the
along w
display
SA
rm to U
entry fo
dline of
a
e
d
the
Pears by 015.
,2
April 15
EVERYBODY WINS!
All who submit complete and eligible entries will receive
a $20 Amazon Gift Card as a reward for participating!
This national display contest is open to any store in the U.S. or Canada that wishes to participate. Void where prohibited
by law or company policy. Prizes will be awarded per participant’s company policy. One entry per store location.
Entries will be judged on a 100 point scale for appearance, creativity,
and educational impact. See contest rules for details.
f
se ioze
U
r
S
Fombo s!
Ju Pear
13 winners will be announced in each
of the following categories:
............................. 1–5 cash registers
............................. 6 –9 cash registers
..................10 or more cash registers
39 WINNERS
Need insPEARation? Pear Up with USA Pears POS Packs are available!
Call 503-652-9720 or visit www.usapears.org/displaycontest.aspx
to order your free pack. Limit one per store.
$16,530
in prizes
Winners in each store category will receive:
• 1st Place: ..................................................... $1,000
• 2nd Place:....................................................... $750
• 3rd Place: ....................................................... $500
• 10 Honorable Mentions:......................... $150 each
T
H
E
Improve Your Pear Category with
Pear Bureau Northwest’s Retail Training Program
The Pear Bureau’s Pear Marketing and Merchandising Training program leads
users through four courses focused on:
•
Location and Varieties
•
Handing and Receiving
•
Merchandising Best Practices
•
Nutrition
The courses can be completed quickly
and revisited while in progress. This
interactive program increases
category knowledge, and in turn, pear
sales.
Whether you’re a produce pro or a
newbie, the program will show you
and your department the latest
promotional strategies and tactics to
help boost pear sales.
Successfully complete the training and you’ll be
rewarded with a certificate of completion for your
portfolio and an exclusive baseball cap!
Start your training course now at
www.usapears.org/training.
JANUARY 8 - JANUARY 15, 2015 | WEEK 2
CONVENTIONAL MARKET NEWS
LETTUCE SHORTAGE
ALERT! Expect pro-rates on Iceberg and Romaine based Salads
this month. The agricultural industry in Yuma, AZ is experiencing
a very challenging winter season. Extended periods of above
average temperatures brought a lot of Iceberg and Romaine
product forward in December. Due to the above average temperatures, products matured significantly faster than the normal
growing process, which, forced many growers to walk by available acres. There’s approximately fourteen weeks of Yuma left
with only twelve weeks of supply. Supply will need to be managed through the remainder of the Yuma growing season.
Iceberg Lettuce supplies are extremely limited. Pricing will remain
high this week. Although we will do out best not to, there may be
supply gaps for a day or two here or there. Some blister and
peel should be expected. Supplies will likely remain limited for
the next few weeks.
Similar to Iceberg Lettuce, Romaine, Green Leaf, Red Leaf, and
Romaine Heart supplies will be limited this week with increased
pricing. It is difficult to load product and supplies are expected
to remain light. Blister and peel is expected.
Source: Dole Salads, Dole Vegetables & The Packer
.........................................................................
CV STRAWBERRIES
CV PEPPERS
CV BROCCOLI & CAULIFLOWER
FLORIDA:
Cool weather at the end of the week slowed
Strawberry production down slightly. It will
help to increase size of the berries and quality will continue to be excellent. Prices will be
slightly higher due to increased ad business.
Green Pepper supply is steady from Florida
and Mexico. We will source from both areas
to cover demand. Pricing will be steady to
lower this week.
Broccoli supplies are extremely limited from
the West coast and Florida.
MEXICO:
Strawberry supplies out of Mexico continue to
be steady. Markets will remain steady keeping them competitive with Florida.
11 lb. Red, Yellow, and Orange Pepper supplies are steady with steady pricing. 15 lb.
Red Peppers are also steady. 25 lb. Red,
Yellow, and Orange Peppers are steady to
lower pricing.
Mini Mix Sweet Peppers are back in steady
supply.
Pricing will be higher this week as we will
source Asian-cut Broccoli Crowns from Mexico to cover demand. Quality should be nice.
Cauliflower supplies are limited, but quality
is very nice. Pricing will be higher this week.
JANUARY 8 - JANUARY 15, 2015 | WEEK 2
CV GREEN ONIONS
CV EGGPLANT
CV BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Due to frost damage, Green Onion supplies
are limited from reduced yields. Pricing will
be steady to higher this week.
Eggplant remains a good item to promote.
Pricing will be steady this week with nice quality.
Brussels Sprouts pricing is expected to remain
steady to higher for the next few weeks. Supplies are limited due to transition from California to Mexico. Once Mexico ramps up, production pricing should come down.
.............
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CV CUCUMBERS
CV CARROTS
CV IMPORT CLEMENTINES
Cool weather in Mexico slowed production of
Cucumbers. Demand is good, causing prices
to bump up this week. We will source from
Mexico and Florida to cover demand.
California 1 lb., 2 lb., and 5 lb. Carrots are
limited. Pricing will actually be steady on the
“Dole” label, but higher by a bit on the off-labels (good quality though; mostly “Green Giant”).
There are plenty of Clementines coming in
from Spain and Morocco. Prices have a little
flex downward on volume orders on the 5 lb.
gift box and packers are taking advantage
of the shortage of California fruit and are
packing and getting a little higher price on
the 10/3 lb. bags. There are “Jaffa” labeled
Clementines from Israel available as well at
a premium cost.
Cello Wrapped Hothouse Cucumbers will be
more limited the second half of the week.
.............
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The industry is starting to transition from Hamlin Oranges to Pineapple Oranges, creating
some price weakness on Hamlins. Grower/
shippers still have plenty of Hamlins to harvest and pack. Consensus among growers is
mid-season Orange crop is short. If so, expect
higher pricing going forward as packers restrict supplies so as not to gap in supply before Valencia Oranges arrive.
CV CITRUS
FLORIDA CITRUS
There is not much to report on Red Grapefruit. Supplies and pricing remain steady
with grower/shippers discounting larger sizes.
Most Grapefruit shippers are packing middle
and smaller sizes for export leaving an abundance of large fruit. Expect increased shipping activity as Red Grapefruit fits New Year’s
profile of healthy eating resolutions.
Old school variety Temple Oranges are
available in small volumes this week, improving in the next 7-10 days. The Temple is one
of the few varieties that seem resistant to
greening disease. Quality reports from the
field appear to be excellent.
There is not much available in Tangerine supplies. A few grower/shippers have started to
pack Honeys but do not expect significant
volumes until week of 01/12/15. Demand
greatly exceeds supplies and we expect this
trend to continue throughout the deal. Quality
appears to be very good on what is available.
.............
. .CALIFORNIA
. . . . . . CITRUS
.....
After a brief scare from freezing temperatures last week, business is as usual as most
Citrus growers/shippers felt little to no effect
from the cold.
The supplies on Navel Oranges, even larger sizes, are good and shows a little flex in
pricing. The varietals, Caras, Blood Oranges,
and Minneola Tangelos are in good supply
as well.
The Clementine Mandarin however, succumbed to the wet weather on the later crop,
and many growers pulled the plug because
of quality and are waiting for the next varieties of Mandarins, the Tango, shipping this
week, and then the Murcott which will start in
ten days to two weeks. Supplies will be light
until then.
The Lemon market still shows a range in prices, with some growers flexing on price top
keep business from switching to cheaper imports from Spain, but others a pushing to hold
the market.
JANUARY 8 - JANUARY 15, 2015 | WEEK 2
IN OTHER NEWS:
.................
CV WATERMELONS
CV BANANAS
CV ASPARAGUS
Increased post Holiday demand has caused
tight supplies on Bananas. Product is tight on
all fruit including singles. Importers reduced
arrivals due to holidays and are struggling to
catch back up. This is expected to last another
week to ten days with more fruit heading to
the States.
We will begin to see a slow down of Peruvian
Asparagus as growers there know Mexico is
going to ramp up quickly. Mexico has started
in a limited way with most product going to
export and staying on the West coast. Product is going to continue to increase over the
next two to three weeks. We could see our first
Mexican arrivals before the end of the month.
.............
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Off shore Watermelon supplies have increased and should stay that way for the
next few weeks. Full size and personals
are available. Mexican full size supplies
are steady as well. Markets will be down
slightly this week.
CV CANTALOUPES
Cantaloupe supplies will remain tight this
week on all sizes. Vessels continue to arrive,
but demand is strong. Markets will hold
steady until the pipeline can get refilled.
CV HONEYDEW
Just like cantaloupes, Honeydews remain
limited. Sizing will continue to be smaller.
There are deals available on Golden Honeydews. Sizing and quality are excellent.
CV TOMATOES
Beef Tomatoes are steady to firm pricing .
Product is nice from Mexico.
Vine Ripe Tomatoes are steady in supply
from Florida with steady pricing.
CV RASPBERRIES & BLACKBERRIES
Rain and cooler weather in Mexico slowed
Raspberry & Blackberry production down last
week. The weather is expected to improve
which will set the stage for good promotional opportunities for the end of the month into
February.
.............
CV BLUEBERRIES
Good supplies are expected this week on
Blueberries. Most of the fruit is arriving in pint
containers.
Continue to promote Blueberries for the month
of January!
.............
CV CLUSTER TOMATOES
Cluster Tomatoes are finishing now and
will be ready again in March. We will
source from Mexico for now. The market is
firm with good demand.
CV ROMA TOMATOES
Roma Tomatoes are limited from Florida
and Mexico, especially Florida. Product
will be steady to higher this week, with
most supply from Mexico.
CV CABBAGE
New crop Cabbage from Florida is now
available. Pricing is steady to lower with
nice quality.
CV SQUASH
Green and Yellow Squash supplies and
pricing are steady from both Mexico and
Florida.
CV RUSSET POTATOES
CV COLOR POTATOES
The Idaho Russet Potato market saw a small
increase in prices for large cartons. This was
mostly due to packaging facilities not being
able to run when temperatures are below
zero degrees. Temperatures in Idaho are expected to be normal or above normal for the
next week or two. Both Russet Norkotah and
Russet Burbank Potato varieties have good
quality at this time.
Demand for Red Potatoes is average, causing
the price to hold steady for size and packs of
Red Potatoes. Transportation is a challenge in
all shipping regions at this time, and there is no
sign of that changing soon. Red Potatoes are
currently available from shippers in Wash.,
Idaho, Wis., Canada, the Red River Valley in
N.D., and Colorado. Growers in southern Florida expect their crop to be available the week
of Jan. 26, putting the crop about 10 days
ahead of schedule.
.................
For more info on what’s
in season, check out
producegeek.com!