Market Update for Stone Fruit

Week of April 13 – April 19

Rain last week throughout the southern California cherry growing regions will have an impact on the start of the season but should not have any effect on the peak volumes expected by the 15th of May. Early Tioga variety will most likely stay on the West Coast now, but many retailers don’t load this variety anyway and most of it will end up in wholesale markets. Pricing of course will start out very high, ranging from $70.00 to $80.00 FOB for 10.5 row. Obviously, these prices will last only a few days, and then we will see a steady decline. Marketers and retailers do not seem aligned now with quotes as high as $60.00 for 10.5 row for the first few weeks in May. Retailers want to promote for Memorial Day, but $5.99 will not move the needle. It will be the typical dance that California cherry marketers and retailers go through every year, but marketers typically end up on the wrong side of that dance floor.