Freshspective
Tuesday, March 4, 2025 | Issue 164
Keep up with the most recent market trends in our Freshspective updates. Discover what's influencing conventional produce, organic options, temperature controlled capacity, and floral so you can plan ahead and avoid disruption.
Conventional Vegetables
We’ve got fresh product crossing today, and with the season nearing its peak, we’re expecting more crossings this week!
🌿 Season Projections
The Caborca season is in full swing, and we’re now seeing peak volume crossings! Weather has been favorable, and quality continues to be strong.
What to Expect in the Coming Weeks?
✅ Strong volume this week and next.
⚠️ After that, many fields will start going out of production, leading to tight supply just before Easter.
💰 Price pressure is expected on the remaining volume as we approach Easter.
As mentioned in the last update, we’re already working on solutions, securing a mix of Mexico and Peru to support April demand. Let’s plan ahead, communicate, and ensure we’re well-prepared!
🌿 ORGANICS – Yes, We Have Them!
Organic product is looking great, and prices are very competitive! Let’s push these and take advantage of the opportunity!
Bell Peppers
[email protected]Markets are responding to the supply starting to condense after older fields were abandoned. In the short term, we expect markets to still be active and there will be a higher market for superior quality product.
Broccoli
[email protected]There is plenty of broccoli in both Mexico and California. Quality is very nice. The Southeast will start back up with broccoli in mid-April.
Cabbage
[email protected]
Happy St Patrick’s Day! There are good supplies of red and green cabbage. Please ask your Robinson Fresh representative for your specific sizing as there are many deals out there. Quality is excellent!
Celery
[email protected]Celery supplies are steady with good volume available in Oxnard and in the desert growing regions. Overall quality is clean with no major issues reported. The weather forecast calls for cooler temperatures with some rain expected in the northern growing region. Please reach out to your Robinson Fresh representative for updates and information regarding availability and promotions.
Cucumbers
[email protected]Cucumbers in the East are beginning to respond as the Honduran season winds down. Florida’s spring crop is set to begin by April 1st, which could lead to elevated market prices until then. Mexico will have cucumbers available, but the markets are expected to still be active.
Greens
[email protected]There are good supplies on all flavors of greens. Quality is excellent! Please ask your Robinson Fresh representative for additional information on pack sizes as there are many deals out there.
Leaf Lettuce
[email protected]Iceberg lettuce, romaine, red and green leaf supplies are plentiful with many growers looking to promote. Quality reports are showing great overall quality and good weights. The weather forecast calls for cooler temperatures with no rain expected this week. The primary shipping points are Yuma and the Imperial Valley with some availability in Oxnard. Santa Maria and Salinas are set to start in early-April. Please reach out to your Robinson Fresh representative for more details.
Potatoes
[email protected]Production is starting to increase in Florida, but we are still a few weeks away from full volumes.
Squash
[email protected]The squash market is quite active with growers abandoning older fields to drive up market prices. Both regions have seen market reactions to this shift. Florida’s spring crop is expected to start early-April.
Sweet Corn
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Conventional Fruits
Apples
We still have a lot of apples in storage for most varieties in Washington State. Most varieties are still very promotable, and growers are actively pushing for feature or back-page advertisements. The supply of Honeycrisp apples remains very limited. All Honeycrisp packs, sizes, and grades are tight and continue to increase in price. We expect this trend to continue until the new crop arrives in mid-August. Other items that are firming up are the Gala premium 88 size and larger as well as the premium Fuji 72 size and larger. Overall, we still have a large crop of apples to sell and expect to see attractive pricing on most varieties into the summer this year.
Avocados
Avocado market is mostly steady. 32/36s are still tight. 48/60s are more available. 70/84s are available but expected to get tighter. #2 fruit is available. Mexico market is more than 85% of market share. Quality remains good.
Bush Berries
[email protected]
Blueberries:
• Chile: Last little push on Chilean fruit for the season. We are at the tail end of arrivals.
• Peru: Volume continues to come across in a lighter way, but steady arrivals with good quality.
• Mexico: Fruit is increasing, with Sekoya and Oz the only varieties now in Mexico. Premium fruit and program opportunities.
• Florida: Ready to start local programs.
• Organic Fruit: Good volume for the next two weeks and then should see a significant drop-off before Mexico picks up.
Continue to put the emphasis on quality--we are managing well. Fruit is promotable on both conventional and organic for the foreseeable future and the market seems to be moving what is out there.
Cantaloupe
Seeing lighter arrivals Out West on cantaloupes this week from offshore but should pick back up next week. Market is fairly steady with fair demand. Out East, supply remains steady in Florida and slightly lighter in the Northeast.
Citrus
Oranges: California continues to have good availability and quality on navel oranges. All sizes are available, but many growers are still peaking on 72 count and smaller. Fruit is reported to have great quality and brix ranging from 12-15.
California Cara Cara crop is in full swing, with quality and volume strong. Sizing profile is similar to navels. Blood oranges are available, heavier to smaller sizes, 113/138 counts. Minneola crop is peaking on 100/125 counts. Large fruit will be more limited this season, as it’s been across the board on California citrus commodities.
Florida Valencias are getting into good volume. Fruit looks clean with brix averaging 11.
Mandarins: Moroccan Nadorcotts are available on the East Coast. Quality is reported to be very good and supply anticipated to be available through April.
California Mandarins are coming into more volume and good availability. Tangos are the predominate variety, with some growers into Murcotts as well. Overall volume for the season is up from last year with sizing peaking on 28 count.
Grapes
Red Seedless Grapes: Peruvian volumes are decreasing, while Chilean red seedless grapes continue to be available on both coasts. Prices vary based on pack dates and quality. With most Peruvian exporters done for the season, Chile will dominate shipments until early May.
Green Seedless Grapes: Green seedless pricing has a broader range due to more varieties. Peruvian Autumn Crisp grapes were affected by heavy rains, leading to a price increase for premium fruit by mid-March. As Chilean fruit is fresher, quality will outweigh origin for now. Chile’s Autumn Crisp export volume is expected to rise by 15%, providing retailers with good premium options.
Honeydew
Market is up slightly in both the West and East on honeydews as there is less supply coming in from offshore and Mexico. There is still adequate availability but not flush supply anymore.
Limes
Region: Veracruz, Mexico
Market Intel: The demand for limes has been steady.
Weather Update: TNext week’s weather forecast predicts temperatures between 61°F and 93°F, with no rainfall expected and only one cloudy day.
Sizing Profile: Peak sizes are 175/150/200s. Size distribution is 110-9%, 150-17%, 175-23%, 200-22%, 230-20%, and 250-9%.
Quality: Quality issues being reported: oil spots, blanching, scarring, and skin breakdown.
Looking Ahead: The projections and estimates for mid-March remain as promising as at the beginning of the month. The trees continue to bear small fruit that will be ready for harvest throughout March. The fruit is vibrant green, nutritious, and healthy, ensuring we can meet the needs of our programs. Our strong partnerships and diverse harvesting locations across the state will support stable and efficient operations.
Mangos
As we enter week 10, both Chiapas and Oaxaca continue to ship large red mangos, sizes 6/7s, with few other sizes. We will start to see a change to more medium fruit (8/9s) in the next 2-3 weeks. Until then, expect large fruit from this region. Honeys are similarly peaking on large fruit such as 12s followed by 14s and 16s. Small fruit is very limited at the moment. We expect a change to more medium-to-small fruit in the next 2 weeks. Michoacan is about to get started in the next 7-10 days and we are expecting Haden mangos to be peaking primarily on 10s, followed by 12s and 9s. Honeys will soon be peaking between 18/20 counts. As customers transition from Peruvian mangos over to Mexican, we are starting to see the field prices increase as demand rises for Mexican supply.
Papaya
Supply JUST Meeting Demand for Papaya in U.S. Market
Supply conditions remain stable out of Mexico with a bit more surplus fruit. Weather is improving and with that so are yields. Contracts are being serviced but with some fruit to offer. Prices are stable in the U.S. market for March. Growers are still expecting that March weather will warm up and yields will improve with surplus fruit becoming more readily available. Weather conditions in Mexico are currently good for papaya production.
Inventories are showing some availability to offer.
Majority of sizes are between 6–12s with SOME surplus fruit.
Quality is reported as good with fruit showing less speckling, some scarring, and mostly green.
Color 25%- 50% / 12-14 brix at point of shipping. The ideal temperature for Imperial papaya is 48 degrees to avoid quality issues upon receiving.
Crop Outlook: Forecast has conditions for better supply for the next two weeks.
Market Intel: Enough supply to service demand.
Pears
The Northwest pear crop this season is very small as the crop is down between 30% and 50%, depending on the variety. We have now finished shipping Bartlett pears and are currently shipping Anjou, red, and Bosc pears. Prices are extremely high this season and we don’t expect to see significant changes to this until the new crop is harvested in September. Import Bartlett pears are now starting to arrive in very small quantities to the East Coast from Argentina. Prices are high on the first product, and we expect prices to stay higher than normal throughout the import season. Expect to have decent supplies on Anjou and red pears from Washington for, but the Bosc will be getting tighter each week and may get hard to get as each week passes.
Pineapple
Availability: Supply JUST Meeting Demand for U.S. Market
• Growing region: MEXICO - Good volume of fruit crossing out of Mexico with this week slightly lower than last week. Weather at the pineapple fields is fair with good yields and excellent quality. Transportation out of Mexico is stable with good availability of trucks to service pineapple shippers. Concern is building around the potential tariffs affecting Mexican imports. Still not confirmed, but it is generating a lot of confusion of how pineapple shippers will react. COSTA RICA - Supply is stable but with not much surplus at the packing plants. Availability is still low with less 7 count available compared to prior week. Good quality of fruit is being exported to U.S. and Europe. Market is stable but expected to increase with less availability to service demand. NO significant surplus expected to happen, and prices will likely increase.
• Mexican fruit quality is GOOD with better condition overall. COSTA RICA - Volume is low AT PACKING with the expectation to remain tight for the remainder of March, improving slightly toward the middle of the month. NO surplus fruit is available to pack on large or small counts at this time. The U.S. market is stable on all counts. Costa Rica is under mixed rainy conditions in the northern region.
• Forecast: Some surplus fruit is being offered at this time at U.S. shipping points by large grower/shippers. Market is stable and slightly lower versus last week.
Strawberries
California fields are back in production after the clean-up from the recent rains and are going to get hit by more rain in the next two weeks. Baja, Mexico has ample supply and good quality. Central Mexico is finishing up due to hot temperatures and quality issues and Florida should harvest through March; although, they may have some weather events in the next week.
Weather Outlook:
Santa Maria, California - The week of March 3rd is forecast for rain and wind Wednesday and Thursday, Friday and Saturday sunny skies, and partly sunny on Sunday. Highs are forecast in the 50s, increasing to the 60s Friday through the weekend, and lows in the 40s. The week of March 10th is forecast for rain tapering to showers on Monday, mostly sunny Tuesday, rain Wednesday through Friday, sun and high clouds Saturday, and mostly cloudy Sunday. Highs are expected in the upper 50s to low 60s and lows in the 40s.
Oxnard - The week of March 3rd is forecast for rain and wind Wednesday and Thursday, and sunny the balance of the week. Highs are expected in the 50s on Wednesday, increasing to the 60s for the balance of the week, and lows in the 40s. The week of March 10th is forecast for rain tapering to showers on Monday, sunny skies Tuesday, sunny with a few clouds on Wednesday, rain on Thursday, and mostly sunny Friday with increasing clouds for the weekend. Highs in the low 60s and lows in the 40s.
Florida - For the week of March 3rd, the forecast for Wednesday is windy and sunny in the morning and thunderstorms in the afternoon, mostly sunny Thursday and Friday, mostly cloudy and breezy Saturday, and thunderstorms on Sunday. Highs are forecast in the upper 70s to low 80s; lows are forecast in the 50s decreasing to the 40s on Thursday, increasing to the 50s on Friday, increasing to the 60s on Saturday, and decreasing to the 50s on Sunday. For the week of March 10th, the forecast is for sunny skies. Highs are expected in the 80s to low 90s with lows in the 50s, increasing to the 60s Tuesday through Saturday, and decreasing to the 50s on Sunday.
Watermelon
Watermelon supplies are getting a little bit tighter as demand is starting to kick in with the warmer weather. I would expect March to continue to be a little bit tight. Out East, offshore shipping is good with steady supplies. We are shipping from the Yucatan, Mexico out of Georgia. The Florida crop will start at the end of the month. Cooler weather has pushed back the Florida crop and volume will not come until the middle of April. We are shipping melon from Southern Mexico out of Edinburg, Texas, and Nogales, Arizona. The northern Mexico crop will also start in four to five weeks. The end of April will be a great time to promote melons.
Organic Fruits & Vegetables
Organic Apples
[email protected]We had a good crop overall on organic apples this season out of Washington. Movement has been very strong in this category across the country, and this is starting to put some upward pricing pressure on most of the varieties. We expect to see adequate supplies on most of the key items into spring this year; although, we are expecting prices to be higher than last year. The one variety that is extremely tight and very pricey is the organic Honeycrisp. This variety will remain extremely scarce and expensive until the new crop arrives in mid-August.
Organic Citrus
[email protected]Navels: Plenty of organic navels are available. The sizing right now is peaking on 72 and 88 counts, but a few 56 and 113 counts are available. Quality is outstanding right now! The pack-out is 80% fancy and about 20% choice. We are packing a few loads per week.
Lemons: Plenty of organic lemons as well this week and for the next month or two. There is a good mix of sizes coming in from the fields right now but the peak sizing seems to be 115 and 140 counts. The pack-out right now is very good--more than 90% fancy and 10% choice. We are packing a few loads each week.
Grapefruit: Like the others, we have plenty of supply on our grapefruit. We are packing an Orchard run on the grapefruit with the fruit being 95% fancy fruit. We are peaking on 40 and 48 counts right now with a few pallets of larger sizes coming in each pack-out.
Organic Dry Vegetables
[email protected]All colors of bell peppers are available right now out of Nogales. Sizing and volume vary each day on arrivals. For the most part, markets are steady and not very strong. There are plenty of mini sweet peppers available and the market on them is cheap. It’s a good time to promote if you are looking for a great advertisement item. Roma tomatoes are going strong as well and are another item that could be a good promotion.
Organic Onions
[email protected]Red Onions: The market has tightened up again this week and we are seeing growers finish their storage crop of reds as well. There is still supply available out of Washington and California, but the price has increased.
Sweet Onions: This market is holding steady again this week and supply is steady as well. Shippers are looking to do jumbo sizes over mediums and bags right now.
Yellow Onions: Supply is strong and the market is fairly weak. There are deals being had on mediums and jumbos along with bags. Most of the supply is coming out of Washington.
Organic Pears
[email protected]The organic pear crop was severely damaged this season and down around 50%. We are still shipping organic Anjou in very small quantities. Imported organic Bartletts have started to arrive now into the U.S. but expect to see pricing much higher than last season. Overall, organic pears will continue to be tight and expensive for the remainder of the year until the new crop is harvested in late September.
Organic Potatoes
[email protected]Colorado potatoes are still available but finding a quality red potato is not possible. Quality on russets and yellow potatoes is very nice though. The market on russets is continuing to be strong and cartons are tight with high prices at this point. The yellow supply is good and so is the quality. Market is steady over the last few weeks and should remain that way for the next few weeks as well. Washington potatoes are starting to dry up. Most of the russet supply is either gone or committed so finding russets on the open market is tough. There are still good supplies on both red and yellow potatoes and the market is steady on them.
Organic Squash
[email protected]Hard squash out of Nogales is available but not as plentiful as it has been the last few weeks. Markets are starting to rise a little on all varieties. Soft squash is all over the place, depending on the day you want to buy. Currently, supply on Italian and yellow squash is tight as is the pricing. Last week, cucumbers were cheap and this week the market has jumped up again. There is supply but pre-books are recommended for volume orders.
Organic Sweet Potatoes
[email protected]No major changes is the California sweet potato market. All varieties and all sizes are available with pricing not changing again this week. Quality is outstanding and we should see it that way for the next few months.
Transportation
Refrigerated Truckload
East Coast United States
Disruptions
The region faced significant disruptions in January and early February due to post-holiday tightness and several major winter storms. These storms affected the Southeast and the Eastern Seaboard, causing delays and supply chain issues.
Current Status
Supply levels have stabilized and returned to normal, now following the typical trends.
Valentine’s Day Impact
The demand for Valentine’s Day flowers led to a significant increase in demand from Southern Florida during the first week of February. While this surge is expected to calm, a slight increase in floral demand may persist throughout the month.
Freight Rates
Elevated freight rates from the holiday season lasted longer than expected due to winter storms affecting many states from the Midwest to Texas. These storms caused delays and increased costs for transportation but were mostly temporary in nature.
Current Trends
Freight rates are gradually returning to pre-holiday levels. However, there may still be occasional disruptions due to weather events.
Wildfires
Despite the wildfires in California, there have been minimal lasting disruptions to freight within the state. The fires have not significantly impacted transportation routes or capacity.
Winter Storms
Snow and ice caused some minor disruptions in capacity, particularly affecting the repositioning of equipment from Arizona to the West Coast. These disruptions were temporary and have since been resolved.
The region is expected to have ample supply if there are no significant weather events or road closures. Capacity and rates should remain relatively stable.
GLOBAL UPDATES
OCEAN CARRIER CONSOLIDATION - Fresh produce growers and shippers attempting to move cargo globally via ocean vessels are dealing with scenarios where ocean carriers genuinely dictate some markets. They dictate and determine the marketability and viability of export markets for many fresh produce exporters. Shippers are being forced to commit earlier to ocean lines to reserve space for upcoming seasons, and spot market space on vessels is nearly impossible to secure.
TARIFF IMPACTS - Fresh produce growers and shippers in North America are bracing for the potential implementation of new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. These tariffs could significantly affect the cost structure and market dynamics for many fresh produce exporters. Growers and shippers are being advised to diversify their markets and strengthen local partnerships to mitigate the impact of these tariffs. Additionally, there is an increased focus on leveraging technology and innovative practices to enhance supply chain resilience and reduce dependency on any single market. The uncertainty surrounding these tariffs is prompting industry players to prepare for multiple outcomes, ensuring they can continue to provide a steady supply of fresh produce to consumers despite potential cost increases.
DEMURRAGE/DETENTION CHARGES - Shippers negotiating with ocean carriers or freight forwarders on perishable cargo contracts should request as much free time at destination as possible to reduce the risk of detention/demurrage charges when inspections/fumigations or drayage capacity constraints delay cargo delivery at destination. Unavoidable and unprecedented demurrage and detention charges due to delays in turning cargo at destination continue in 2025.
CONTAINER SHORTAGE – The ongoing shortage of refrigerated ocean containers is significantly affecting shipments from Latin America (LATAM) to the USA. This issue stems from a combination of seasonal demand and global logistics disruptions. An imbalance in container availability, compounded by extended transit times and port congestion, is leading to delays and rising shipping costs. Most ocean carriers have responded by imposing elevated peak-season surcharges. Addressing this issue requires coordinated efforts to improve container availability and streamline logistics processes.
AVERTED U.S. PORT STRIKE - Although the strike was avoided, there are valuable lessons to be learned from the experience. To navigate these volatile times, here are three lessons learned from the averted U.S. port strike and the strike in October 2024, that may help shippers more proactively plan for and respond to future disruptions.
Averted Port Strike: 3 Supply Chain Lessons | C.H. Robinson
For more global freight insights please visit Global Freight Markets Insights | C.H. Robinson.