Author Archive
CarbAmericas is importing good volumes of Mexican asparagus….Meanwhile, onion shipments from New Mexico are much heavier that last year as the season continues full bore.
by CarbAmericas
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. – CarbAmericas, the premier importer of fresh fruits and vegetables, transitioned into asparagus from Central Mexico in early June week and will continue shipping from the region through early September.
This season’s shipments will originate in the Irapuato-based CarGoldMex facility which opened in November 2016. CarGoldMex, a vertically integrated grower, shipper and packer of Mexican fruits and vegetables, has been a partner of CarbAmericas for four years.
“We are very excited about our state-of-the-art facility in Irapuato and look forward to utilizing our capabilities there to better serve our customers,” said Jeff Friedman, president of CarbAmericas. “We expect to grow and ship around half a million cases this season through our Central Mexico program.”
CarbAmericas supplies Central Mexican asparagus packed in 11 and 28 lbs. and tips. Cypress Creek branded custom packs also available upon request. Shipments will come into the US via McAllen, Texas.
About CarbAmericas
CarbAmericas was established in 1993 and is a vertically integrated, year-round supplier and importer of fruits and vegetables. Specializing in asparagus, broccoli, mangos, snow and sugar snap peas, CarbAmericas services both retail and foodservice in the U.S., Europe, Asia and South America. With team members working alongside their growers across the Americas, CarbAmericas truly stands behind its commitment to reliably execute for their growers and customers while exuding passion and integrity.
****
New Mexico Onion Shipments
New Mexico onion shipments got underway the second week of May, but did not hit good volume until the start of June. Shipments are expected to exceed last season by 35 percent. One shipper, Shiloh Produce of Hatch, NM is now shipping about 50 loads daily and will load 2,000 trucks through August when the season ends.
Imported Chilean clementines are arriving at U.S. ports…Meanwhile new onion packinghouses are announced for onions in the Western U.S.
Thanks to the end of lengthy drought, the first Chilean clementines of the season have arrived at North American ports a couple of weeks earlier than last year. Improved growing conditions have led to better fruit quality.
The clementines departed from the port of Valparaiso in mid-April and arrived in the U.S. in early May.
About 12,260 boxes were in the first shipment, nearly 90 percent of which ended up on the East Coast. Total imported volume will be slightly less than 2016, with about 42,000 tons exported between April and July.
In 2016, 99 percent of all Chilean clementines were shipped to North America, and that is once again expected to be the case this year. As clementine shipments begin winding down in July, mandarin volume will pick up, with shipments continuing into October.
Mandarin volume should increase 26 percent, while clementine volume likely will be down about two percent.
Sun Pacific Shippers Inc., of Pasadena, CA markets the Cuties brand and started Chilean mandarins shipments to customers this week.
The clemenule variety will be available into August, and the w. murcott and tango varieties will be available mid-August through the beginning of the California season in October.
Seald Sweet LLC, Vero Beach, FL received its first clementines from Chile in mid-May,
New Packinghouses
Rio Valley Onion of Hatch, NM has a new onion packinghouse, while Golden West Produce of Parma, ID will have a new packinghouse and three new storage facilities before the end of the summer.
The Hatch facility construction was finished in April, when packing got underway in late May. Golden West began construction on its new buildings in March. Those should be completed in mid-August, and initial production is planned for the last week of August.
Golden West, previously based in Nyssa, Ore., lost six buildings in January in back-to-back heavy snows that collapsed many onion facilities in the region.
The company’s new onion packinghouse will be 65,000 square feet, and at full capacity be able to produce 3,000-3,500 50-pound packages per hour.
Rio Valley Onion, a partnership between Lack Farms and Kit Carson Farms, both based in Hatch, will have a 75,000-square foot packing facility.
Besides packing the onion acreage of Lack Farms and Kit Carson Farms, Rio Valley Onion will also pack product from other growers in New Mexico and Mexico.
By Honeybear Marketing
Elgin, Minnesota – A record shipment of Chilean Honeycrisp from Honeybear Brands’ southern hemisphere orchards arrives at major retail stores across the country this week. The 2017 Chilean Honeycrisp is the largest in Honeybear’s 10-year program and brings just picked freshness, color and taste domestic Honeycrisp inventory, harvested last fall, is in low supply and flavor waning from months of cold storage.
The volume increase in Chilean Honeycrisp is due in part to several factors: the natural maturation of Honeybear’s Chilean orchards, excellent growing conditions and the company working with exceptional local growing partners who understand the many nuances of growing and optimizing premium apple production in their local micro climates.
Leading retailers featuring the Honeybear Chilean Honeycrisp include Hy-Vee, Publix, Loblaws, United Supermarkets, Cub Foods, SuperValu, Central Market, Coborns and Sam’s Club in more than 100 markets across the country.
Honeybear Brands and parent Wescott Agri Products were granted exclusive production and commercialization rights for the Chilean Honeycrisp by the University of Minnesota, developer and owner of the original variety. The company was one of the first to grow Honeycrisp in Washington state and Chile, and is widely recognized as the premier Honeycrisp label in the United States.
For more information visit www.honeybearbrands.com or contact Honeybear at 952-746-1315
About the Honeycrisp Variety
The Honeycrisp variety was first designated in 1960, patented in 1988 and made available to customers in 1991. In recent years, thanks to its unique blend of crunch, crisp flesh and a mixed sweet/tart flavor profile, the Honeycrisp variety has become an in-demand favorite of consumers, cooks, apple-lovers. A challenging variety to grow, Honeycrisp requires the right microclimate to maximize production, yield quality and flavor.
About Honeybear Brands
Honeybear Marketing is the marketing arm for, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wescott Agri Products. Honeybear is a leading grower and developer of premium apple varieties. The company started as Wescott Agri Products, a family run apple orchard in the early 1970s. From that early start several generations ago, today Honeybear still employs the same hands-on, personal attention to each and every apple variety produced through the Honeybear Apple Varietal Development Program. Honeybear is the leading provider of Honeycrisp apples in the Northwest region and offers complete domestic and global supply integration from varietal development to growing, packing, shipping and retailer support.
Excellent shipping seasons are shaping up on both U.S. Coasts with California melons and with South Florida avocados.
California melon shipments from the San Joaquin Valley are on track for a good shipping season as initial loadings have started in recent days.
While melons are still coming out of the Yuma area, they will be winding down the last week of June as California is cranking up. For example, Westside Produce of Firebaugh, CA will start loading melons from Huron in late June and will be soon shipping cantaloupe and honeydew from both Huron and Firebaugh. This season is beginning later due to rain soaked fields delaying plantings. Although no pest or disease problems due to the wet planting season have been detected, caution is recommended when your truck is being loaded. So watch for quality issues.
Five Crowns Marketing of Brawly, CA begins shipping watermelons and mini watermelons in Mendota and Tracy by the end of June.
Cantaloupes are targeted to start July 1 in Firebaugh and mid-July in Mendota and Patterson, followed by varietal melons and honeydews about 10 days after cantaloupes start.
Good supplies and steady shipments are expected throughout the summer.
Yuma melons – grossing about $5900 to Atlanta.
Florida Avocado Shipments
Florida avocado shipments are looking to be the best in two years.
Brooks Tropicals of Homestead, FL is the state’s largest avocado grower and expects volume will be 20 percent above a year ago. Shipments to markets will be particularly directed at receivers on the East Coast. California ships 80 to 90 percent of the nation’s domestic avocados, so there is a big freight advantage for Florida’s green-skinned varieties.
While the South Florida harvest started in May, early loadings were directly primarily to local markets. However, out of state shipments pick up significantly in June. There also is a trend for more Florida avocado shipments being delivered west of the Mississippi and into Canada.
Heaviest volume is expected after the Fourth of July, with shipments continuing through March.
Florida only shipped about 800,000 bushels during last year’s short season, but observers are hoping to ship nearly 900,000 bushels this year.
South Florida tomatoes, vegetables, melons and avocados – grossing about $3600 to Boston.
Expanding to handle more containerized cargo by investing $600 million has been announced by the Port of Oakland.
Speaking to a maritime audience at the American Association of Port Authorities Conference recently in Tampa, Fla., Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll outlined a partnership designed to increase trade volume by investing in new facilities and better infrastructure.
“We’re building for growth in a shipping industry that is becoming more and more competitive,” Driscoll said in a news release. “By investing with partners who share our vision, we can deliver services that will be of great value to the global supply chain.”
Driscoll noted the port would work with private developers and public agencies to modernize its infrastructure and outlined three proposed investment projects:
- $244 million, mostly from government grants, to separate railroad tracks from major port roadways;
- $90 million for a privately built refrigerated warehouse called “Cool Port;” and
- $50 million to expand the port’s second-largest marine terminal, with private funds.
Driscoll noted that the port recently completed a $100-million railyard near marine terminals and a proposed logistics complex, both of which should be a drawing card for shippers, enabling cargo to be quickly shifted between rail, road and ocean transport.
The Port of Oakland agricultural tonnage grew 233% over the past five years and now represents 53% of the port’s total export tonnage. Fruits and nuts are the leading agricultural commodities shipped from the port. The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland Seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront.
The Port of Los Angeles
January 2017 was the busiest January and second busiest month in the Port of Los Angeles’ 110-year history
“Coming off our best year ever in 2016, it’s very encouraging to keep the momentum going into 2017,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a news release. “The port remains diligent, along with our partners, in making the San Pedro Bay supply chain even more efficient through world-class infrastructure, innovative technology solutions and strategic use of resources.”
January 2017 imports increased 13.1% compared to January 2016. Exports increased 28.7% compared to the previous year. Empty containers increased 17.9%. Combined, January 2017 saw a 17.4% increase compared to last year.
Fruit and vegetable imports for January 2017 were 4,885 TEU (20-foot equivalent units), according to Phillip Sanfield, Port of Los Angeles director of media relations. Those imports accounted for 1.1% of the total 415,423 TEUs imported that month. Fruit and vegetable export numbers were not available.
Carolina vegetable shipments are underway….Over 3,000 miles away in British Columbia, the region’s largest cherry shipper is looking to have record loadings.
While North and South Carolina had their share of weather issues early in the year, it appears summer and fall vegetables shipments should be fairly normal. While crops such as peaches, blueberries and spring vegetables took a big hit, there’s much more optimism for the coming months.
Good shipments are seen for peppers, squash, cucumbers, greens, including cabbage and collards, as well as eggplant, okra, tomatoes, onions, kale and lettuce, and sweet potatoes.
Many of the vegetable shipments are just getting underway. Weather issues forced delays on several types of summer vegetables, such as squash and sweet corn. However, bell peppers, potatoes appear to be on schedule to run from about June 6-10 to the end of July.
While a good percent of North Carolina vegetables are shipped locally and regionally, some end up as away as in Canadian markets and as far south as Florida.
Canadian Cherry Shipments
Cooler weather this spring has resulted in a later start to the season for all commodities, which means cherry shipments will not begin until the latter part of June. BC Tree Fruits Cooperative of Kelowna, B.C. is forecasting it will have a record 12 million pounds of cherries for the upcoming season. Last year’s take was 8 million pounds, which weather had reduced from a 12 million-pound forecast.
BC Tree Fruits also said it is expecting “very good” volumes of peaches, nectarines, prunes, plums and grapes, with volumes similar to last year.
“With weather serving up a cooler spring this year, it has enabled our grower base to be prepared for a delicious and high quality crop of cherries at more traditional timing,” BC Tree Fruits Marketing Manager Chris Pollock said in a news release. “Cherries and the rest of our summer fruits went through the bloom period exceptionally well and our growers are excited for a great crop this year with harvest starting end of June for cherries in the south, with the fruit hitting retail shelves very soon after.”
The primary market for BC Tree Fruits summer fruits is Western Canada, although the co-op also continues to export increased volumes of cherries to the U.S. and other markets.
Potato shipments in good numbers are now coming out of Kern County, California, as well as from Eloy, Arizona and continuing until early July.
Following a recent shipping gap in late May, Kern County potato shipments should be relatively strong they peak in June and continue until about July 10th.
These California spud loading typically begin in late April or early May and last for about two months. This year, the first potatoes were dug and shipped in late April, but several growers didn’t get underway in Kern County until the second week of May. This was due to their earliest new potatoes being grown a couple of hundred miles south in the California desert.
This season there is 1,058 acres of white potatoes, 1,853 acres of reds and 1,834 acres of yellows in Kern County. This year there were no russet potatoes which had been declining for several years.
Kern County potatoes and carrot shipments – grossing about $6100 to Atlanta.
****
Arizona Potato Shipments
By Potandon Produce L.L.C.
Idaho Falls, ID – Potandon Produce L.L.C., the exclusive marketing agent for Pinto Creek Co., LLC in Eloy, AZ is now shipping fresh potatoes from Arizona in good volume.
Potandon will be shipping mini potatoes, red potatoes, and gold potatoes in the Green Giant™ label from Pinto Creek,.
Red and yellow potato shipments will continue until the July 4 weekend. Mini red, mini yellow, medley packs and purple potatoes will ship through August. Potandon also has started moving Arizona product to their Idaho cross-dock facility next week for mixed loads.
The Pinto Creek packing facility has seen constant improvement over the past five years, from a new storage facility to state of the art grading and sizing equipment, making it one of the premier red potato packing sheds in the southwest.
About Potandon Produce L.L.C.
Headquartered in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Potandon Produce is the largest marketer of fresh potatoes and one of the largest marketers of fresh onions in North America. Potandon holds the exclusive licensing rights to the Green Giant™ brand for fresh potatoes and onions, and is able to provide year-round supply to any size retail, foodservice, or wholesale customer.
by Northwest Cherry Growers
Over 75 growers, shippers and field team leaders from across the Northwest Cherry industry met recently to discuss the 2017 cherry crop.
This collective group meets annually to discuss the developing crop potential across the growing districts within each of the 5 member states, and formulates a crop estimate based on attendee input. The 5-State estimate is often the most accurate look at the crop as it is in real time, provided by growers who have walked out of their orchards and into this meeting. It does not, however, take into account the annual field team data model and historical algorithms with which we project the NWC’s 4 rounds of estimates.
The round table estimate for the Northwest 2017 sweet cherry crop is 227,000 metric tons or 22.7 million 20 lb. equivalent boxes. That estimate would put the coming crop 8% larger than last year’s 20.9 million box season. This crop projection allows for substantial promotional opportunities (and heavy shipments) all season long – late June through August!
Extended bloom and cool spring weather indicate a longer season, stretching from mid-June through the end of August. for cherry shipments. The 2017 shipping season should last between 90 and 100 days! Significant volume into the month of August is anticipated.
According to grower reports, early varieties such as Chelan and Santina are currently on track for similar crops to last season’s record early variety shipments. This strengthens the expectations that once harvest in the Northwest begins, it should accelerate at a rapid velocity. The attending group in general expects to see harvest begin in the June 12th to 15th window. Much of Washington’s Bing acreage didn’t set in 2016, but the orchards have rebounded with a slightly larger than average bloom in response this Spring. Fruit is well-spread throughout the trees and the regions – which bodes well for timing and quality.
The Northwest Rainier crop (including all yellow-fleshed sub-varieties) is reported as looking strong, with many of the growers estimating increases of 20-25% over last year. The 2015 and 2016 Rainier crops were strikingly similar, and both finished around 1.8 million 15-pound boxes. We expect to see plenty of fruit in July this year, including around National Rainier Cherry Day on July 11th.
Washington apple shipments – grossing about $4100 to Chicago.
by T&G Global / Oppy
Fresh crop New Zealand JAZZ™ apples are arriving now — decked out with a sharp new look and attitude geared to drive even stronger sales of the top-10 apple.
Built around the powerful positioning of “The JAZZ Sensation,” the new brand elevates the always refreshing eating experience delivered by the tangy-sweet, intensely crunchy favorite. Complete with a fresh new logo, and supported by a full suite of nimble visual components, JAZZ™ is primed to stand out in the category with contemporary colors, eye-catching graphics and a compelling brand message.
JAZZ™ apples originated in New Zealand, following a natural union of Royal Gala and Braeburn varieties. Sixteen years later, it’s become a global sensation, growing in 10 counties under a closely controlled quality program, managed by trademark owner and one of New Zealand’s largest horticulture exporters, T&G Global (originally Turners and Growers).
T&G Global introduced the new brand at Fruit Logistica in February, and has subsequently rolled it out market-by-market to great enthusiasm.
Darren Drury, T&G Global’s executive general manager – pipfruit, said the refresh of JAZZTMrepresents a major investment by T&G that extends across all touch-points from packaging to promotions and sampling to digital platforms.
“Our consumer research identified an opportunity to reinvigorate our JAZZTM brand to reinforce its premium position,” he explained. “We operate in a highly competitive category, so it’s vital to remain relevant while appealing to new consumers. Having discussed it with our growers, sales agents and customers we felt the time was right for a global refresh.”
Importantly, the esteemed ENZA quality mark will appear alongside the new JAZZ™ label, providing assurance that the long-standing quality and eating experience of JAZZ™ has not changed.
“The new JAZZ™ brand will engage consumers with an exciting new website and relevant social content aimed at creating a deeper relationship between JAZZ™ and its global fan base,” said Drury. “Our research guided us to focus JAZZ™ marketing efforts on well-travelled and socially connected taste seekers; consumers who are always looking for the latest and the new, and who enjoy sharing their discoveries. A durable, versatile, great-tasting apple like JAZZ™ is a perfect fit for this spirit and lifestyle, and our refreshed approach will place more JAZZ™ into their sphere.”
Available soon from Oppy, fresh crop New Zealand JAZZ™ apples will be supported by high-impact custom promotions arranged in partnership with retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“JAZZ™ ranks third in the list of premium apples for dollar contribution in the produce department,” said David Nelley, vice president of categories at Oppy. “Its growth has been steady over the last decade and a half. The refreshed brand will renew existing connections with JAZZ™ apples as well as build new ones across North America.”
JAZZ™ apples are also available from CMI Orchards and Rainier Fruit Company primarily during the domestic season.
Drury says T&G is pleased with consistent growth and demand for JAZZTM across the company’s traditional markets including Germany, the UK and USA alongside newer markets such as Thailand, China, Vietnam and Japan.
“We’ve built up a stronger presence in our key markets and our people are better placed to further support our customers and work alongside growers on our year-round growing program,” he said. “We are also looking for new growth opportunities. It’s an exciting time for JAZZTM and we’re looking forward to sharing our new-look journey with customers, growers and consumers.”
by The New Jersey Peach Promotion Council
GLASSBORO, NJ — Other than a mild February which forced apricots and some plum varieties to bloom early, most New Jersey peaches experienced a cool and relatively normal winter.
“While our peaches and nectarines bloomed about ten days early we have not had sub-freezing temperatures to injure peach flowers and fruit”, said Santo John Maccherone, owner of Circle M Farms in Salem, chair of the New Jersey Peach Promotion Council(NJPPC) and president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. “My crop is mostly heavy except for a block of the late yellow-fleshed peach Jerseyqueen and some white-fleshed nectarine varieties.” He emphasized that crop development is running about ten days earlier than 2016 and he expects to be picking and marketing his first peaches in late June.
“We have a full crop of fruit this year” said Tom Holtzhauser, operator of Holtzhauser Farms on Woodland Avenue in Mullica Hill. “Last year we were badly hurt by spring temperatures and our crop was nonexistent,” Mr. Holtzhauser, a director of the NJPPC sells a wide variety of peaches white and yellow fleshed, and flat peaches both retail at his farm market and wholesale to various restaurants and farm market buyers.
“Most growers in southern New Jersey have started to thin off their heavy crop at this time,” stated Jerry Frecon, technical and horticultural consultant to the NJPPC, professor emeritus at Rutgers University and a retired peach specialist.. “A few growers were brave enough to even thin blossoms with mechanical and string thinners. Brave because there is always a high probability of low temperature injury during bloom so thinning at this time can be very risky.” He said most growers are thinning off small fruit by hand and with mechanical aids.
Recent statistics published by the NJ Peach Promotion Council estimate that NJ growers are producing about 5500 acres of peaches and nectarines and should harvest between 55 and 60 million pounds of fruit in 2017. “We are always optimistic at this time of the year,” said Maccherone, “but we still have a long way until we pick and market the fruit, and lots of things can happen.”
The New Jersey Peach Promotion Council is a non-profit voluntary organization of growers, shippers, wholesalers and associated industries dedicated to maintaining a viable peach industry in the Garden State for the purpose of preserving farmers and farmland; and to providing the highest quality and best tasting fresh peaches for consumers.
New Jersey is the fourth largest peach producing state in the country, with approximately 80 orchards on 5,000 acres.
CarbAmericas is importing good volumes of Mexican asparagus….Meanwhile, onion shipments from New Mexico are much heavier that last year as the season continues full bore.
by CarbAmericas
Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. – CarbAmericas, the premier importer of fresh fruits and vegetables, transitioned into asparagus from Central Mexico in early June week and will continue shipping from the region through early September.
This season’s shipments will originate in the Irapuato-based CarGoldMex facility which opened in November 2016. CarGoldMex, a vertically integrated grower, shipper and packer of Mexican fruits and vegetables, has been a partner of CarbAmericas for four years.
“We are very excited about our state-of-the-art facility in Irapuato and look forward to utilizing our capabilities there to better serve our customers,” said Jeff Friedman, president of CarbAmericas. “We expect to grow and ship around half a million cases this season through our Central Mexico program.”
CarbAmericas supplies Central Mexican asparagus packed in 11 and 28 lbs. and tips. Cypress Creek branded custom packs also available upon request. Shipments will come into the US via McAllen, Texas.
About CarbAmericas
CarbAmericas was established in 1993 and is a vertically integrated, year-round supplier and importer of fruits and vegetables. Specializing in asparagus, broccoli, mangos, snow and sugar snap peas, CarbAmericas services both retail and foodservice in the U.S., Europe, Asia and South America. With team members working alongside their growers across the Americas, CarbAmericas truly stands behind its commitment to reliably execute for their growers and customers while exuding passion and integrity.
****
New Mexico Onion Shipments
New Mexico onion shipments got underway the second week of May, but did not hit good volume until the start of June. Shipments are expected to exceed last season by 35 percent. One shipper, Shiloh Produce of Hatch, NM is now shipping about 50 loads daily and will load 2,000 trucks through August when the season ends.
Imported Chilean clementines are arriving at U.S. ports…Meanwhile new onion packinghouses are announced for onions in the Western U.S.
Thanks to the end of lengthy drought, the first Chilean clementines of the season have arrived at North American ports a couple of weeks earlier than last year. Improved growing conditions have led to better fruit quality.
The clementines departed from the port of Valparaiso in mid-April and arrived in the U.S. in early May.
About 12,260 boxes were in the first shipment, nearly 90 percent of which ended up on the East Coast. Total imported volume will be slightly less than 2016, with about 42,000 tons exported between April and July.
In 2016, 99 percent of all Chilean clementines were shipped to North America, and that is once again expected to be the case this year. As clementine shipments begin winding down in July, mandarin volume will pick up, with shipments continuing into October.
Mandarin volume should increase 26 percent, while clementine volume likely will be down about two percent.
Sun Pacific Shippers Inc., of Pasadena, CA markets the Cuties brand and started Chilean mandarins shipments to customers this week.
The clemenule variety will be available into August, and the w. murcott and tango varieties will be available mid-August through the beginning of the California season in October.
Seald Sweet LLC, Vero Beach, FL received its first clementines from Chile in mid-May,
New Packinghouses
Rio Valley Onion of Hatch, NM has a new onion packinghouse, while Golden West Produce of Parma, ID will have a new packinghouse and three new storage facilities before the end of the summer.
The Hatch facility construction was finished in April, when packing got underway in late May. Golden West began construction on its new buildings in March. Those should be completed in mid-August, and initial production is planned for the last week of August.
Golden West, previously based in Nyssa, Ore., lost six buildings in January in back-to-back heavy snows that collapsed many onion facilities in the region.
The company’s new onion packinghouse will be 65,000 square feet, and at full capacity be able to produce 3,000-3,500 50-pound packages per hour.
Rio Valley Onion, a partnership between Lack Farms and Kit Carson Farms, both based in Hatch, will have a 75,000-square foot packing facility.
Besides packing the onion acreage of Lack Farms and Kit Carson Farms, Rio Valley Onion will also pack product from other growers in New Mexico and Mexico.
By Honeybear Marketing
Elgin, Minnesota – A record shipment of Chilean Honeycrisp from Honeybear Brands’ southern hemisphere orchards arrives at major retail stores across the country this week. The 2017 Chilean Honeycrisp is the largest in Honeybear’s 10-year program and brings just picked freshness, color and taste domestic Honeycrisp inventory, harvested last fall, is in low supply and flavor waning from months of cold storage.
The volume increase in Chilean Honeycrisp is due in part to several factors: the natural maturation of Honeybear’s Chilean orchards, excellent growing conditions and the company working with exceptional local growing partners who understand the many nuances of growing and optimizing premium apple production in their local micro climates.
Leading retailers featuring the Honeybear Chilean Honeycrisp include Hy-Vee, Publix, Loblaws, United Supermarkets, Cub Foods, SuperValu, Central Market, Coborns and Sam’s Club in more than 100 markets across the country.
Honeybear Brands and parent Wescott Agri Products were granted exclusive production and commercialization rights for the Chilean Honeycrisp by the University of Minnesota, developer and owner of the original variety. The company was one of the first to grow Honeycrisp in Washington state and Chile, and is widely recognized as the premier Honeycrisp label in the United States.
For more information visit www.honeybearbrands.com or contact Honeybear at 952-746-1315
About the Honeycrisp Variety
The Honeycrisp variety was first designated in 1960, patented in 1988 and made available to customers in 1991. In recent years, thanks to its unique blend of crunch, crisp flesh and a mixed sweet/tart flavor profile, the Honeycrisp variety has become an in-demand favorite of consumers, cooks, apple-lovers. A challenging variety to grow, Honeycrisp requires the right microclimate to maximize production, yield quality and flavor.
About Honeybear Brands
Honeybear Marketing is the marketing arm for, and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wescott Agri Products. Honeybear is a leading grower and developer of premium apple varieties. The company started as Wescott Agri Products, a family run apple orchard in the early 1970s. From that early start several generations ago, today Honeybear still employs the same hands-on, personal attention to each and every apple variety produced through the Honeybear Apple Varietal Development Program. Honeybear is the leading provider of Honeycrisp apples in the Northwest region and offers complete domestic and global supply integration from varietal development to growing, packing, shipping and retailer support.
Excellent shipping seasons are shaping up on both U.S. Coasts with California melons and with South Florida avocados.
California melon shipments from the San Joaquin Valley are on track for a good shipping season as initial loadings have started in recent days.
While melons are still coming out of the Yuma area, they will be winding down the last week of June as California is cranking up. For example, Westside Produce of Firebaugh, CA will start loading melons from Huron in late June and will be soon shipping cantaloupe and honeydew from both Huron and Firebaugh. This season is beginning later due to rain soaked fields delaying plantings. Although no pest or disease problems due to the wet planting season have been detected, caution is recommended when your truck is being loaded. So watch for quality issues.
Five Crowns Marketing of Brawly, CA begins shipping watermelons and mini watermelons in Mendota and Tracy by the end of June.
Cantaloupes are targeted to start July 1 in Firebaugh and mid-July in Mendota and Patterson, followed by varietal melons and honeydews about 10 days after cantaloupes start.
Good supplies and steady shipments are expected throughout the summer.
Yuma melons – grossing about $5900 to Atlanta.
Florida Avocado Shipments
Florida avocado shipments are looking to be the best in two years.
Brooks Tropicals of Homestead, FL is the state’s largest avocado grower and expects volume will be 20 percent above a year ago. Shipments to markets will be particularly directed at receivers on the East Coast. California ships 80 to 90 percent of the nation’s domestic avocados, so there is a big freight advantage for Florida’s green-skinned varieties.
While the South Florida harvest started in May, early loadings were directly primarily to local markets. However, out of state shipments pick up significantly in June. There also is a trend for more Florida avocado shipments being delivered west of the Mississippi and into Canada.
Heaviest volume is expected after the Fourth of July, with shipments continuing through March.
Florida only shipped about 800,000 bushels during last year’s short season, but observers are hoping to ship nearly 900,000 bushels this year.
South Florida tomatoes, vegetables, melons and avocados – grossing about $3600 to Boston.
Expanding to handle more containerized cargo by investing $600 million has been announced by the Port of Oakland.
Speaking to a maritime audience at the American Association of Port Authorities Conference recently in Tampa, Fla., Port of Oakland Maritime Director John Driscoll outlined a partnership designed to increase trade volume by investing in new facilities and better infrastructure.
“We’re building for growth in a shipping industry that is becoming more and more competitive,” Driscoll said in a news release. “By investing with partners who share our vision, we can deliver services that will be of great value to the global supply chain.”
Driscoll noted the port would work with private developers and public agencies to modernize its infrastructure and outlined three proposed investment projects:
- $244 million, mostly from government grants, to separate railroad tracks from major port roadways;
- $90 million for a privately built refrigerated warehouse called “Cool Port;” and
- $50 million to expand the port’s second-largest marine terminal, with private funds.
Driscoll noted that the port recently completed a $100-million railyard near marine terminals and a proposed logistics complex, both of which should be a drawing card for shippers, enabling cargo to be quickly shifted between rail, road and ocean transport.
The Port of Oakland agricultural tonnage grew 233% over the past five years and now represents 53% of the port’s total export tonnage. Fruits and nuts are the leading agricultural commodities shipped from the port. The Port of Oakland oversees the Oakland Seaport, Oakland International Airport, and 20 miles of waterfront.
The Port of Los Angeles
January 2017 was the busiest January and second busiest month in the Port of Los Angeles’ 110-year history
“Coming off our best year ever in 2016, it’s very encouraging to keep the momentum going into 2017,” Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka said in a news release. “The port remains diligent, along with our partners, in making the San Pedro Bay supply chain even more efficient through world-class infrastructure, innovative technology solutions and strategic use of resources.”
January 2017 imports increased 13.1% compared to January 2016. Exports increased 28.7% compared to the previous year. Empty containers increased 17.9%. Combined, January 2017 saw a 17.4% increase compared to last year.
Fruit and vegetable imports for January 2017 were 4,885 TEU (20-foot equivalent units), according to Phillip Sanfield, Port of Los Angeles director of media relations. Those imports accounted for 1.1% of the total 415,423 TEUs imported that month. Fruit and vegetable export numbers were not available.
Carolina vegetable shipments are underway….Over 3,000 miles away in British Columbia, the region’s largest cherry shipper is looking to have record loadings.
While North and South Carolina had their share of weather issues early in the year, it appears summer and fall vegetables shipments should be fairly normal. While crops such as peaches, blueberries and spring vegetables took a big hit, there’s much more optimism for the coming months.
Good shipments are seen for peppers, squash, cucumbers, greens, including cabbage and collards, as well as eggplant, okra, tomatoes, onions, kale and lettuce, and sweet potatoes.
Many of the vegetable shipments are just getting underway. Weather issues forced delays on several types of summer vegetables, such as squash and sweet corn. However, bell peppers, potatoes appear to be on schedule to run from about June 6-10 to the end of July.
While a good percent of North Carolina vegetables are shipped locally and regionally, some end up as away as in Canadian markets and as far south as Florida.
Canadian Cherry Shipments
Cooler weather this spring has resulted in a later start to the season for all commodities, which means cherry shipments will not begin until the latter part of June. BC Tree Fruits Cooperative of Kelowna, B.C. is forecasting it will have a record 12 million pounds of cherries for the upcoming season. Last year’s take was 8 million pounds, which weather had reduced from a 12 million-pound forecast.
BC Tree Fruits also said it is expecting “very good” volumes of peaches, nectarines, prunes, plums and grapes, with volumes similar to last year.
“With weather serving up a cooler spring this year, it has enabled our grower base to be prepared for a delicious and high quality crop of cherries at more traditional timing,” BC Tree Fruits Marketing Manager Chris Pollock said in a news release. “Cherries and the rest of our summer fruits went through the bloom period exceptionally well and our growers are excited for a great crop this year with harvest starting end of June for cherries in the south, with the fruit hitting retail shelves very soon after.”
The primary market for BC Tree Fruits summer fruits is Western Canada, although the co-op also continues to export increased volumes of cherries to the U.S. and other markets.
Potato shipments in good numbers are now coming out of Kern County, California, as well as from Eloy, Arizona and continuing until early July.
Following a recent shipping gap in late May, Kern County potato shipments should be relatively strong they peak in June and continue until about July 10th.
These California spud loading typically begin in late April or early May and last for about two months. This year, the first potatoes were dug and shipped in late April, but several growers didn’t get underway in Kern County until the second week of May. This was due to their earliest new potatoes being grown a couple of hundred miles south in the California desert.
This season there is 1,058 acres of white potatoes, 1,853 acres of reds and 1,834 acres of yellows in Kern County. This year there were no russet potatoes which had been declining for several years.
Kern County potatoes and carrot shipments – grossing about $6100 to Atlanta.
****
Arizona Potato Shipments
By Potandon Produce L.L.C.
Idaho Falls, ID – Potandon Produce L.L.C., the exclusive marketing agent for Pinto Creek Co., LLC in Eloy, AZ is now shipping fresh potatoes from Arizona in good volume.
Potandon will be shipping mini potatoes, red potatoes, and gold potatoes in the Green Giant™ label from Pinto Creek,.
Red and yellow potato shipments will continue until the July 4 weekend. Mini red, mini yellow, medley packs and purple potatoes will ship through August. Potandon also has started moving Arizona product to their Idaho cross-dock facility next week for mixed loads.
The Pinto Creek packing facility has seen constant improvement over the past five years, from a new storage facility to state of the art grading and sizing equipment, making it one of the premier red potato packing sheds in the southwest.
About Potandon Produce L.L.C.
Headquartered in Idaho Falls, Idaho, Potandon Produce is the largest marketer of fresh potatoes and one of the largest marketers of fresh onions in North America. Potandon holds the exclusive licensing rights to the Green Giant™ brand for fresh potatoes and onions, and is able to provide year-round supply to any size retail, foodservice, or wholesale customer.
by Northwest Cherry Growers
Over 75 growers, shippers and field team leaders from across the Northwest Cherry industry met recently to discuss the 2017 cherry crop.
This collective group meets annually to discuss the developing crop potential across the growing districts within each of the 5 member states, and formulates a crop estimate based on attendee input. The 5-State estimate is often the most accurate look at the crop as it is in real time, provided by growers who have walked out of their orchards and into this meeting. It does not, however, take into account the annual field team data model and historical algorithms with which we project the NWC’s 4 rounds of estimates.
The round table estimate for the Northwest 2017 sweet cherry crop is 227,000 metric tons or 22.7 million 20 lb. equivalent boxes. That estimate would put the coming crop 8% larger than last year’s 20.9 million box season. This crop projection allows for substantial promotional opportunities (and heavy shipments) all season long – late June through August!
Extended bloom and cool spring weather indicate a longer season, stretching from mid-June through the end of August. for cherry shipments. The 2017 shipping season should last between 90 and 100 days! Significant volume into the month of August is anticipated.
According to grower reports, early varieties such as Chelan and Santina are currently on track for similar crops to last season’s record early variety shipments. This strengthens the expectations that once harvest in the Northwest begins, it should accelerate at a rapid velocity. The attending group in general expects to see harvest begin in the June 12th to 15th window. Much of Washington’s Bing acreage didn’t set in 2016, but the orchards have rebounded with a slightly larger than average bloom in response this Spring. Fruit is well-spread throughout the trees and the regions – which bodes well for timing and quality.
The Northwest Rainier crop (including all yellow-fleshed sub-varieties) is reported as looking strong, with many of the growers estimating increases of 20-25% over last year. The 2015 and 2016 Rainier crops were strikingly similar, and both finished around 1.8 million 15-pound boxes. We expect to see plenty of fruit in July this year, including around National Rainier Cherry Day on July 11th.
Washington apple shipments – grossing about $4100 to Chicago.
by T&G Global / Oppy
Fresh crop New Zealand JAZZ™ apples are arriving now — decked out with a sharp new look and attitude geared to drive even stronger sales of the top-10 apple.
Built around the powerful positioning of “The JAZZ Sensation,” the new brand elevates the always refreshing eating experience delivered by the tangy-sweet, intensely crunchy favorite. Complete with a fresh new logo, and supported by a full suite of nimble visual components, JAZZ™ is primed to stand out in the category with contemporary colors, eye-catching graphics and a compelling brand message.
JAZZ™ apples originated in New Zealand, following a natural union of Royal Gala and Braeburn varieties. Sixteen years later, it’s become a global sensation, growing in 10 counties under a closely controlled quality program, managed by trademark owner and one of New Zealand’s largest horticulture exporters, T&G Global (originally Turners and Growers).
T&G Global introduced the new brand at Fruit Logistica in February, and has subsequently rolled it out market-by-market to great enthusiasm.
Darren Drury, T&G Global’s executive general manager – pipfruit, said the refresh of JAZZTMrepresents a major investment by T&G that extends across all touch-points from packaging to promotions and sampling to digital platforms.
“Our consumer research identified an opportunity to reinvigorate our JAZZTM brand to reinforce its premium position,” he explained. “We operate in a highly competitive category, so it’s vital to remain relevant while appealing to new consumers. Having discussed it with our growers, sales agents and customers we felt the time was right for a global refresh.”
Importantly, the esteemed ENZA quality mark will appear alongside the new JAZZ™ label, providing assurance that the long-standing quality and eating experience of JAZZ™ has not changed.
“The new JAZZ™ brand will engage consumers with an exciting new website and relevant social content aimed at creating a deeper relationship between JAZZ™ and its global fan base,” said Drury. “Our research guided us to focus JAZZ™ marketing efforts on well-travelled and socially connected taste seekers; consumers who are always looking for the latest and the new, and who enjoy sharing their discoveries. A durable, versatile, great-tasting apple like JAZZ™ is a perfect fit for this spirit and lifestyle, and our refreshed approach will place more JAZZ™ into their sphere.”
Available soon from Oppy, fresh crop New Zealand JAZZ™ apples will be supported by high-impact custom promotions arranged in partnership with retailers throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“JAZZ™ ranks third in the list of premium apples for dollar contribution in the produce department,” said David Nelley, vice president of categories at Oppy. “Its growth has been steady over the last decade and a half. The refreshed brand will renew existing connections with JAZZ™ apples as well as build new ones across North America.”
JAZZ™ apples are also available from CMI Orchards and Rainier Fruit Company primarily during the domestic season.
Drury says T&G is pleased with consistent growth and demand for JAZZTM across the company’s traditional markets including Germany, the UK and USA alongside newer markets such as Thailand, China, Vietnam and Japan.
“We’ve built up a stronger presence in our key markets and our people are better placed to further support our customers and work alongside growers on our year-round growing program,” he said. “We are also looking for new growth opportunities. It’s an exciting time for JAZZTM and we’re looking forward to sharing our new-look journey with customers, growers and consumers.”
by The New Jersey Peach Promotion Council
GLASSBORO, NJ — Other than a mild February which forced apricots and some plum varieties to bloom early, most New Jersey peaches experienced a cool and relatively normal winter.
“While our peaches and nectarines bloomed about ten days early we have not had sub-freezing temperatures to injure peach flowers and fruit”, said Santo John Maccherone, owner of Circle M Farms in Salem, chair of the New Jersey Peach Promotion Council(NJPPC) and president of the New Jersey State Board of Agriculture. “My crop is mostly heavy except for a block of the late yellow-fleshed peach Jerseyqueen and some white-fleshed nectarine varieties.” He emphasized that crop development is running about ten days earlier than 2016 and he expects to be picking and marketing his first peaches in late June.
“We have a full crop of fruit this year” said Tom Holtzhauser, operator of Holtzhauser Farms on Woodland Avenue in Mullica Hill. “Last year we were badly hurt by spring temperatures and our crop was nonexistent,” Mr. Holtzhauser, a director of the NJPPC sells a wide variety of peaches white and yellow fleshed, and flat peaches both retail at his farm market and wholesale to various restaurants and farm market buyers.
“Most growers in southern New Jersey have started to thin off their heavy crop at this time,” stated Jerry Frecon, technical and horticultural consultant to the NJPPC, professor emeritus at Rutgers University and a retired peach specialist.. “A few growers were brave enough to even thin blossoms with mechanical and string thinners. Brave because there is always a high probability of low temperature injury during bloom so thinning at this time can be very risky.” He said most growers are thinning off small fruit by hand and with mechanical aids.
Recent statistics published by the NJ Peach Promotion Council estimate that NJ growers are producing about 5500 acres of peaches and nectarines and should harvest between 55 and 60 million pounds of fruit in 2017. “We are always optimistic at this time of the year,” said Maccherone, “but we still have a long way until we pick and market the fruit, and lots of things can happen.”
The New Jersey Peach Promotion Council is a non-profit voluntary organization of growers, shippers, wholesalers and associated industries dedicated to maintaining a viable peach industry in the Garden State for the purpose of preserving farmers and farmland; and to providing the highest quality and best tasting fresh peaches for consumers.
New Jersey is the fourth largest peach producing state in the country, with approximately 80 orchards on 5,000 acres.