Buyer's Notes - May 14, 2021

Buyer’s Notes - May 14, 2021

Stefan Misse, Carter Selmes-Blythe, Brody Irvine, Jon Maheswaran - Discovery Organics

From Stefan: 

Apples - supply of BC fruit starting to dwindle with Washington in great shape on Gala, Fuji, etc. with a long CA season in the works.

Berries - its promotion time on all types (finally!) We have finally hit that sweet spot with all 4 varieties coming in strong supply and good quality. Just in time for a Victoria day Long weekend push. Now is a good time for an ad, don’t you think?

Oranges - Navels now in their last gasps. Many vendors dropping out and moving to USA Valencia now. Speaking of Valencia the Mexican deal is winding up quick as well. And we have another 2 weeks left in the Pixie season… Fruit just got picked and is arriving Sunday. Gold nuggets also still rolling for a week a or 2 more.

Apricots – good supply now and that should flow nicely for a few weeks.

Grapes - first shot of green have arrived. Pricing will remain high for a couple weeks until more players jump in the game.

Peaches - just getting started on yellows.

Nectarines - arrival in a week or so.

Pears - not much new here other that some Red D’Anjou coming in to fill the Red Bartlett void.

From Carter:

Asparagus – we are in full swing on Washington grass… MX & CA markets are stable.

Eggplant - good quality, availability and steady pricing on all sizes.

 Cucumbers – supply is steady on slicers and juice cucumbers.

LE Cucumbers – OriginO will be in low production due to crop rotation. Low volume will start to trickle in May 17th.

Fiddleheads – we got them! Please talk to our sales team!

Onions – new crop CA onions rolling along nicely!

BC Peppers – no major update on OriginO peppers! They are gorgeous!

Tomato Heirlooms – Wholesum FT is back.

Mushrooms – it’s been a good week for mushrooms. Limited shorts across the board… Look for Morels to start around May 31st.

Roma Tomatoes – FT Divine looking great! Fruit is ready to eat with PLUs.

Zucchini – supplies limited out of MX but we got them!!!!! Should see our first arrival of BC Zucchini 3rd week of June.

Hard Shell Squash – great selection available across the board on MX squash..  Look for California to start on July 1st ..Spaghetti & Acorn first up!

From Brody:

Beets – we are getting into the thick of our beet program with Ecocampos and it is off to a great start.

Broccoli Bunches – supplies are a little tight going into the weekend but we’ll be back in strong supplies by Wednesday.

Carrots – we are trying out some new bagged carrot options from Cal-O right now. Try out the chipped and shredded options that we are stocking– perfect for BBQ season, backyard hangs, and picnic time.

Cauliflower – the market is coming down with increased supply so we should see some pricing relief soon and we absolutely have the product you need, including some beautiful large heads of cauliflower from Earthbound.

Cilantro – pair with some limes and avocado and these new shredded carrots and put it on a taco. That’s the taste of summer right there.

Fennel – caramelized fennel with some fiddleheads and fava beans. That’s the taste of spring right there!

Leeks – our local grower, Crisp Organics, has tucked away a stash of leeks into storage and will keep us going with locally grown delicious leeks for a few more weeks! Such a fantastic win = infrastructure supports can drastically increase storage capacity and availability of locally grown food. Yay for food security.

Spring Onions – Siri and Sons is based just south of Portland, Oregon and have been a long time partner of Discovery Organics. Their spring onions are perfect for fresh salads and backyard hangs. We will have BC grown spring/grilling onions pretty soon and they’ll be available almost all summer long!

Radishes – we are in the thick of the local season now! Siri and Sons, Ralph’s Greenhouse, and Two EEs are all showing up with stunning and super fresh radish patches.

Spinach – same story here. Fantastic PNW grown spinach is coming in and it could not be more fresh.

From Jon:

Mini Watermelons - we are in full swing. Swimming in beautiful minis right now.

Cantaloupes - lots here, and a lot more coming!

Yams - Oh So Natural is going to start dry packing our yams for the next few months – expect a bit of dust and much longer shelf life.

Kiwis - hard to source right now, may be a couple of weeks before bagged kiwis are back.