Market Update For Berries

Week of Nov 8th  – Nov 15th

Strawberries

We continue to deal with a very complicated market. California growers just can’t seem to recover from weeks of bad weather. Plant health in Santa Maria is a big question mark, and daily pack outs are struggling as a result. The spot market for California fruit is still well over $32.00 FOB, but the inconsistent quality has buyers wary. Central Mexico quality is better, but volumes crossing the border are still insufficient to fill the pipeline. FOBs in McCallen TX are ranging from $32.00 to as high as $36.00, with no relief in sight this week. The industry really needs Florida to come online, but we won’t see any meaningful volumes from Florida until the week after Thanksgiving. Foward pricing for Mexican berries seems to be $18.00 to $20.00 by the first week in December, but it will be very hard for any retailer to trust the supplies. Florida growers will be in a prime spot to take on the full market in December. Let’s hope that the weather will cooperate.