Buyer's Notes - April 1, 2022
Buyer’s Notes - April 1, 2022
Stefan Misse, Carter Selmes-Blythe, Brody Irvine, Jon Maheswaran - Discovery Organics
Here’s your bi-weekly update in the produce world.
From Stefan:
Apples - we are starting to dip into the Washington C/A storage supply a little more now and that trend should continue as Cawston Cold Storage has finished packing. All fruit is in the box and we should see a brisker transition to USA fruit over the next few weeks.
Yet another new Washington Apple variety is making it’s debut this week – Cosmic Crisp and Sugarbee - move over and let the next new uber-expensive variety get into the limelight.
Avocado - if you thought Avocado’s were very expensive now, just wait until you see the prices on this new purple program……Mexican producers are currently asking the moon, partially because California Hass season is winding down, partially because the volume of fruit on trees across Mexico is down, partially because new crop harvests don’t start until July, and finally, because they just can get away with it, maybe seeing just how far they can stretch the supply / demand cycle – or see how many wholesalers, retailers and consumers they can piss off with very pricey fruit. No relief in sight.
We have some Zutano available again for variety and a nicer price point by the each. Fruit is clean and eating great.
Berries - blackberries are back into a low point of production from Mexico and prices have soared on new product on the road. Blueberries are still going strong but expect that supply to tighten up shortly. Raspberries are steady. Strawbs got hit by rain in California and Baja last week which has impacted arrivals this week and sent pricing up a notch. We should be back into good supplies and volumes again by the end of the week.
Naturipe announced that their new larger variety they have been trialling in Chile will be marketed in a one-berry single serving package!
Grapefruit - we are nearing the end of the Mexican crop now and with that we will expect to see some pricing changes. The Rio Red will be done for awhile and we move into the Ruby’s from the coast.
Lemons – good supplies and great quality right now. It’s been an interesting year for lemons for sure as the crop size was larger than estimated. The usual springtime jump in pricing has not hit yet even though the desert crop has been picked.
Mango – good supplies and quality from Mexico on both varieties. Fruit is cleaner than 2 weeks ago and the packing is daily instead of weekly. We have a few sizes on both Ataulfos and Tommys to meet everyone’s needs. Ad volume is there if you need it. Please ask!
Pears - Washington crop is nearly done on Bosc and DAnjou. Bartletts are in high demand and limited supply likely due to the continued risky sea freight options on the West coast. Many shippers are directing to the East coast and then trucking across to avoid the delays in the west, but that adds over $12 (US) to the cost of every box.
From Brody:
Beets – we are receiving the last of the BC grown Chioggia beets from Crisp Organics today and that will be it for the season. For reds we are receiving our first shipment from Ecocampos and couldn’t be more pleased! It is great timing for beet transition as supplies out of California start to tighten up for the next couple of months.
Bok Choy/Baby Bok Choy – we are rocking and rolling with a great pack out from Cal-O. However, they are already short on supply due to massive demand. We should have good supplies going into next week but already know that no new product will be available to harvest until the end of next week, especially on baby bok choy.
Baby Broccoli/Broccolini – this has been a very high priced product for this entire winter and likely will remain so for the foreseeable future (although some pricing relief is coming as the Salinas crops get going). Basically, this is an incredibly difficult crop to grow and is very labour intensive. Most growers this season corrected after a few years of selling below the costs of production. We might see other corrections like this in the coming months/year. However, they do grow much more efficiently in Salinas and the labour force there is very skilled – so better pricing can be expected in the spring/summer/fall months.
Broccoli – Salinas is off to the races and supplies and quality are top notch!
Romanesco – we are getting some excellent quality from Lakeside at the moment. However, the heads of the Romanesco are purpling (deep purple colouring within the florets) which is due to heat stress. When stressed the plants produce anthocyanins to help protect itself and those tend to have red/purple hues. Just a colour thing… not a quality thing J
Cabbage – we are swimming in some amazing cabbage at the moment and finally have a Savoy type cabbage available. Napa will continue to be short on supplies for another couple of weeks.
Fennel – after a couple of weeks of challenged supply the fennel gods are rejoicing! We’re back into solid fennel action and all of your anise desires can be met. Nice to have Phil Foster’s Pinnacle brand in stock on this – great old time California grower.
Kale – ummmmm… this green kale from Ecocampos is some of the best kale we’ve seen all winter long! Whoa! Get on it.
Celery – the market for celery is still super hot and we are so excited to be going with our Ecocampos program now. It allows us to remain very competitive with direct, high quality supplies. Expect 30CT to be the sizing of choice for a bit since a lot of growers are shipping out of the desert still and the high temperatures mean you need to harvest the celery at a smaller size otherwise it will bolt (go to seed) in the fields and you will lose the crop. Small celery for spring!
Leeks – some beauty overwintered leeks are showing up from some of our fav local growers. Go BC!
Lettuce – finally a new shipment arrived yesterday from Ecocampos and it’s already almost sold out… that is wild. Lots of romaine to go around but green/red leaf are very tight in supplies. Thankfully some Salinas growers are back in the mix so expect some California grown stuff to be rolling in within the coming days. Specialty lettuces/greens are available now too so get weird and try some chicories.
With so much interest and press around indoor vertical farming – another veritical farm operation on the East coast, employing some tech from the International Space Station have now shortened growing times on some crops by staggering amounts. Here is a 3 minute facebook link to this amazing story
https://www.facebook.com/martianfarmsverticalfarm/videos/381950923936210/
Radish – the sign of a good spring and upcoming Easter season is truly gauged by the abundance and varieties of the humble radish. Enjoy your French breakfast, your Easter Egg, and your classic red bunch! We got them all along with some white bunched turnips and soon we’ll have the delectable locally grown Two EEs red radish to display as well.
Parnips – Ralph’s Greenhouse is the king of leeks and the king of parsnips! However, the end of the storage/overwinter season is upon us so load up on these delicious treats before they are gone.
Spring Greens – the absolute best sign of spring is when the sprouted tops/raabs arrive. Longview has become the absolute star of the produce world over the past few years by perfecting the packout of their sprouted cabbage tops, collard raab, and kale raab. We are so excited when these arrive and they are always stunning. Get your hands on these! They cook up just like asparagus or broccolini… and are a tonne of fun in the kitchen and on the plate. We’ll also have fiddleheads and stinging nettle on the go! Great wild foraged items that are sooo tasty.
From Carter:
Asparagus – what a week of sales on grass. Thanks to all our Discovery customers supporting the program. Promotional pricing will continue on into next week. Supplies are real steady. Look out for our Fair Trade pack arriving Wednesday next week from Campos Borquez.
Beans – Covilli somewhat limited going into next week. Immature beans need some time to size up. 4Earth coming in for support Wednesday. Look for a fresh drop of Covilli beans end of next week.
Brussel Sprouts – fresh drop of bags and bulk in today from Hippie Organics (Alpine Fresh).
Carrots – steady as she goes on carrots. Still have those sweet sweet Fountainview carrots in house.
Field Cucumbers – limited till end of next week.
Juice Cucumbers – new arrival Monday.
LE Cucumbers – BC in house. Simply said support local!
Horseradish – new arrival Sunday.
Yellow Onions – last arrival of Manitoba yellows from Peak In today. We will transition back to Andersen WA for a few weeks. New crop California onions start April 18th (Heger).
Red Onions – gap till CA kicks off around April 18th
Shallots – Snow Farms 4 ever! Well… not forever since we just picked up our last order from them until new harvests in October.
Peas – grab and go packs back in stock Sunday from Del Cabo.
Peppers – real tight going into next week on import peppers out of Nogales. Good news is our first drop of the season on BC bell peppers from Origino is picking up Tuesday. Woo Hoo! Red and yellow to start. Orange picking up Friday.
Hard Shell Squash – hey all you Delicata lovers we have lots in house, keep on roasting.
Zucchini – we are ahead of the game on pricing! Promotional pricing available for next week. Please chat with our sales team.
Roma Tomatoes – super limited at the moment. We are well stocked so come and get em… New arrival Wednesday next week.
Potatoes – we are officially wrapped up on BC yellows from Fraserland. Another week or so and BC russets will be wrapped up. Lots of beautiful Alberta spuds in house from SSR.
From Jon:
Melons - FT Divine Mini watermelons have arrived!
Kiwis - packaged Kiwi from California going strong.
organicgirl Salads - these are fully back on track now after what seems like months of supply issues on at least one or two mixes – so looking forward to smooth sailing.
Yams - Steady supply here as we move well into the late storage season. But this might make things interesting! Blue is such a rare colour in the produce world, and even weirder is this new variety tastes like plums and has a floral aroma. What will they think of next.
