Current Market News for the week of June 26th, 2022:

¨ The butter market climbed higher but was unable to overcome a sizable correction on Wednesday.

¨ Wholesale pricing on both cheese markets fell again on soft retail demand. End users should see pricing start to drift lower. 

¨ Cantaloupes and honeydew continue in season from Yuma, AZ. Pricing is steady.

¨ Strawberries remain promotable. Prices are expected to rise after the 4th of July as the main flush has passed.

¨ Blueberries are in tight supply. New Jersey berries have started with limited volume, and the quality and flavor are outstanding! Driscoll’s will once again have a solid New Jersey program this year, and this should ramp up right after July 4th. These berries will be jumbo in size with excellent crunch! 

¨ Raspberry prices are easing as new regions are starting to harvest in CA. More volume is expected.

¨ Blackberry supplies are limited. Due to the heat wave in the southeast, the Georgia crop has finished for the season. North Carolina is harvesting and supplies from California remain steady. Pricing will gradually rise over the next couple weeks. 

¨ Green seedless grapes are arriving from Mexico and USA. Greens (“Sugarone” and “Sweet Globe”) will be out of Mexico. “Sugarones” will also be available from California in July.

¨ Red grapes will be promotable through the first week of July out of Mexico. They have excellent quality and taste!   

¨ ALERT! Mangos remain extremely tight. Fruit is starting to finally come on and should be good by early July.

¨ ALERT! Hass avocados are tight from Mexico. Peruvian and Columbian fruit are the only cost-effective option. Flora Loca fruit from Mexico is too immature to harvest and will take a few more weeks before it is a consistent source of supply.

¨ Eastern peaches out of South Carolina are extremely limited. It has been difficult to even get product, and this season will be short lived. We expect a gap in supply until New Jersey begins mid-July. This has put heavy demand on both two-layer tray packs as well as volume fill options. Prices have jumped higher.

¨ We’ve received our first dark sweet cherries for the season out of Washington, and the quality is excellent. Supplies are limited and will remain tight into early July.

¨ Navel orange quality is firm, but the California season is coming to an end. Valencia oranges will begin by early July. Blood oranges are finishing up for the season.

¨ Romaine and romaine hearts from California are limited.

¨ Sweet corn prices will increase with demand and freight. Sweet corn is available out of Georgia and North Carolina, with Delaware starting by the beginning of July. New Jersey sweet corn is expected to start around the 4th of July.

¨ Asparagus prices will increase as Michigan ends, and New Jersey and Delaware are done. Mexican and Peruvian asparagus is ramping up. We will move into all 11lb cases by July.

¨ Eggplant prices are steady from North Carolina with plenty of volume. This will lead right into New Jersey eggplant in July.

¨ Green squash from Pennsylvania and New Jersey continues to arrive with outstanding quality. Prices are higher. Yellow squash volumes are increasing with the transition to all New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

¨ Beefsteak and cluster tomato prices are rising.

¨ Warm weather has caused a shift in the broccoli crown market as California and Virginia had fields push ahead. California pricing has about doubled as demand grows.