A 104% increase in total avocado pounds shipped to the U.S. to date during the 2022-2023 season has been reported by The Colombia Avocado Board (CAB).
This data is provided by the Hass Avocado Board which tracks shipments and sales of Hass avocados from all growing regions.
During the past two years avocado production and orchard development in Colombia has increased rapidly. In 2021, there were 150 orchards producing just under 6.5 million pounds of avocados. Today, there are 488 orchards across eight states, and production is soaring with nearly 25 million pounds of avocados being produced in the 2023 season so far, a 325% increase since 2021.
The expansion of certified acreage is a major contributor to the increase in volumes and the growth of the industry in general.
CAB reported excitement over the growth of avocado exports the last two years and looks forward to see where volume stands in the years to come.
The ability of Columbia to ship directly to the U.S., one of the of the strongest avocado consumption markets in the world, is a great asset to Colombia Avocados suppliers, and provides American consumers with more supply choices to meet their growing demand.
Enough talk about millennials and their avocado-toast-buying ways — new data suggests every generation is at risk of spending too much cash on their grub.
A poll of 1,800 US adults found, across the board, 48% said their grocery costs are eating up the majority of their monthly budget, followed by utility bills (38%) and credit card debt (37%), according to Talker Research.
Younger Americans seem to be focused on their financial positioning for the future, as well. Thirty-eight percent Gen Zers are delegating the majority of their monthly budget towards loans, while 46% of millennials are likewise spending most of their money tackling credit card debt.
Meanwhile, 45% of Gen X is spending the most on groceries, 43% of baby boomers are paying the most on utility bills and 43% of the Silent generation are forking up the most for their rent and/or mortgages.
TOP 3 MONTHLY BUDGET SPENDS PER GENERATION
GEN Z Groceries – 48% Credit card debt – 41% Rent – 39%
Survey methodology: This random double-opt-in survey of 1,800 Americans with bank accounts was commissioned by UserTesting between March 3 and April 12, 2023. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).
Delano, California — Four Star Fruit, a leading grower of organic and conventional table grapes, recently acquired 1,100 acres of table grape vineyards and two modern distribution facilities near Bakersfield, California from Grapeman Farms. The acquisition is an exciting opportunity for Four Star Fruit to expand its operations and meet the growing demand for table grapes across the US and abroad.
Family-owned and operated by the Campbell family for three generations, Four Star Fruit is committed to sustainable farming and innovation, offering a wide range of grape varieties, including the trademark Pristine®. The additional boxes of grapes from these vineyards will further bolster Four Star Fruit’s supply of grapes to major retail chains in the United States, ensuring a consistent supply of high-quality grapes to consumers. The two cold storage facilities will provide additional logistical support with Four Star Fruit’s new 52-week sales program.
Jack Campbell, President of Four Star Fruit, expressed optimism about the acquisition and said, “We are committed to delivering high-quality and diverse grape varieties to our retail partners and consumers through our planned growth, which includes this exciting acquisition as one of many steps in expanding our domestic and international fruit procurement.”
Founded in 1974, Grapeman Farms has had a stellar reputation as a grower and shipper representing some of the industry’s most well-known varieties. The company has provided table grapes to the largest retailers for the past 49 years. The acquisition is a perfect fit for Four Star Fruit’s table grape operation, and the Campbell family looks forward to expanding their capacity to satisfy the growing consumer demand at the store level.
Alongside the announcement, Four Star Fruit has gained exclusive rights to the highly sought-after sweet late-season red Holiday® Seedless grape variety. This attainment will allow the company to continue working on its varietal expansion with the use of the Holiday® Seedless grape DNA.
Four Star Fruit has been in table grape production as a grower-shipper since 1987. The company is family-owned and operated for three generations by the Campbell family. Four Star produces remarkable premium conventional and organic grapes, including the trademarked Pristine® variety. Their fields are located throughout the San Joaquin and Coachella Valleys and internationally in Peru, Chile, and Mexico. Their top-of-the-line facility allows for innovation and flexibility in packaging. Four Star farms thousands of acres of grapes annually while carefully ensuring each bunch’s quality from planting to harvest, packing to shipping.
WENATCHEE, Wash. – Promising blooms and strong cell division action means Stemilt’s Washington apricot crop will bring big fruit this year. Apricots shipments have just started and will continue through July with peak volume starting July 4th onwards. Stemilt senior sales manager, Brian Evans, anticipates quality and size will increase during this year’s apricot season.
“We’ll have good volume and sizes of Artisan Organics™ apricots this year which means now is the perfect time to prepare for upcoming promotion windows,” says Evans. “We’re seeing signs of strong cell division post bloom which shows improved quality and size from the previous crop.”
Great flavors are made when cool nights and long, hot days give apricots the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness. The Douglas family grows all Stemilt’s apricots, peaches and nectarines 100% organically in Pasco, WA in the Columbia Basin. The natural rain shadow in this area makes an optimal location for growing stone fruit.
“With larger size fruit on the way, catch weight bags are going to be your best friend for promoting apricots,” says Evans. “July 4 will be a good time to first bring attention to apricots leading into another key promotion window in the second and third weeks of July. We encourage retailers to carry organic apricots to fill organic space and offer a value opportunity that shoppers will look for during produce inflation.”
Apricots continue to be a popular fruit choice for children who enjoy sweet mellow flavors. According to The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023, younger consumers are more likely to purchase fresh apricots. The report shows 19% of families with 2 kids are most likely to buy them. 14% of Consumers aged 30-39 said they purchased apricots, compared with 6% for those consumers aged 60 and older.
“We can help bring new shoppers to the organic category with apricots by picking fruit that’s going to delight with quality flavors and sizes,” says Evans. “Promoting organics with a seasonal fruit like apricots is a great way to see growth in the category and we’re excited to help retailers see success this summer with Artisan Organics™ branded fruit.”
About Stemilt
Stemilt is a family-owned grower, packer, and shipper of tree fruit. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt is a leader in sweet cherries and organic tree fruits, and a key supplier of apples and pears.
With more than 8,000 tons shipped to North America through May, the Chilean Kiwifruit season is underway. Peak U.S. imports are just kicking off and will continue through August.
While the Chilean Kiwifruit Committee is projecting an overall decrease in volume of 14 percent compared with last season, fruit quality is expected to be superior! Reports Carlos Cruzat, President of the Committee, “Fruit this year is between one and one and a half sizes larger, and dry matter (which plays a key role in the consumer’s eating experience) is greater than previous seasons.” This is the result of a warm summer with healthy water supply.
Chile shipped 134,992 tons of kiwifruit across the globe in 2022, with the U.S., Netherlands, and Brazil its top three markets. India has also grown substantially over the past few years, becoming the fourth largest market for the Chilean kiwifruit industry in 2022.
This season, Chile expects to export a total of 116,093 tons. The U.S. received 20,221 tons in 2022, with similar volumes projected this season, but increases are on the horizon. With new orchards coming into production over the next few years, Chile anticipates volume to grow by more than 80% by 2030.
In previous years, Chile had shipped around 35-40 percent of total kiwifruit volume through May, but this year, that figure has grown to 52 percent. With that in mind, the Committee is focusing on the June through August timeframe for promotions.
Batavia, Ill. – Further solidifying its position as one of the fastest-growing grocers in the country, ALDI is adding 120 new stores this year. At a time when inflation is forcing some retailers to slow growth, or even shutter stores, customers are actively asking for more ALDI locations in their communities.
Known for its unique shopping experience and selection of the best products at the lowest prices, ALDI will have more than 2,400 stores nationwide by the end of the year.
“While inflation is undoubtedly driving unprecedented demand for affordable groceries, we know that once customers experience the ALDI difference, they keep shopping with us, even when the economy improves,” said Jason Hart, CEO, ALDI U.S. “Our growth is led by our customers, and they continue to want more ALDI locations coast-to-coast.”
This year’s planned expansion builds on a banner year in 2022. ALDI opened and remodeled 139 stores, welcomed approximately 9.4 million new customers and drove double-digit growth year over-year as shoppers sought relief from soaring food prices. The grocer is on track to continue that momentum this year, opening 35 stores in the first quarter alone and welcoming 5.3 million new customers to its stores as of April 2023.
The brick-and-mortar expansion is part of a larger omnichannel experience designed to make grocery shopping as convenient and enjoyable as possible, no matter how customers prefer to shop, whether in-store, through curbside pickup, or via delivery through shop.ALDI.us or through ecommerce partners DoorDash and Instacart.
As part of its larger commitment to sustainability, the grocer is enhancing new and existing stores with eco-friendly features, including installing rooftop solar panels and eliminating plastic shopping bags. ALDI is also implementing environmentally-friendly refrigerants in its stores, an important move to reduce carbon emissions that earned the grocer recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) GreenChill program.
In fact, ALDI has secured more EPA GreenChill store certifications in 2020 and 2021 than all U.S. grocery retailers combined. All of these initiatives recently earned ALDI a top accolade as one of Progressive Grocer’s Top 10 Most Sustainable Grocers.
As part of this national expansion, ALDI will add nearly 2,000 new employees to support the additional store count. As a Certified Great Place to Work and one of Forbes’ America’s Best Large Employers, ALDI will bring its employee-focused culture and above-average industry pay to more markets coast-to-coast.
About ALDI U.S.
ALDI is one of America’s fastest-growing retailers, serving millions of customers across the country each month. When it comes to value, ALDI won’t be beat on price. ALDI has also been No. 1 for price according to the dunnhumby Retailer Preference Index Report for six years running. Since 1976, ALDI has offered a unique shopping experience where customers never have to compromise on quality, selection or value. In fact, 1 in 3 ALDI-brand products are award-winning. Customers can save time and money by conveniently shopping in-store or online at shop.aldi.us. ALDI also proudly serves as a Feeding America Leadership Partner, donating 30 million pounds of food each year in an effort to end hunger in America. For more information about ALDI, visit aldi.us.
Richland, WA – The Northwest Cherry Growers recently gathered to discuss the crop prospects for the 2023 cherry crop.
Representatives from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Utah and Montana have determined that the 2023 crop has great potential relative to crop volume and fruit size. As weather across the region has generally been in the 80 degree F range and it is clear that the region is seeing optimal weather for cell division for size and sugar development.
This year the first bloom in the earliest orchards began on April 8th, with full bloom coming on April 15th. The normal growth cycle for sweet cherries is 60 to 65 days from pollination to harvest. The earliest harvest is expected to fall on or near June 15th.
After reviewing degree day build up, bloom timing and potential fruit set on the trees; the industry believes that there is potential for a crop of 19.9 million 20 lb. boxes. This would constitute a 50% increase in crop size as compared to the 13.3 million box crop we saw in 2022.
CMI Orchards of Wenatchee, WA expects to have 75 percent more cherries than last season. The company will kick off the season around the middle of June. It will have peak shipments the entire month of July with the state anticipating its peak around July 12. After that, loading will start tapering off and will run until the end of August.
Cherries in the early and mid-season districts appear to have set a nice crop. Late season Northwest growers also expect to have a moderate to average crop in 2023.
The post 4th of July orchards have experienced a “flash bloom” that has resulted in some pollination issues. Some orchards that are lighter than expected – as crop load will run from 5 to 10 tons to the acre based on location. The good news for the late season offerings is growers are expecting great size and sugars!
This year’s bloom timing was a full 14 to 20 days behind the 2022 bloom pattern.
Following a down crop year in 2022, Sage Fruit Co. of Yakima, WA sees a rebound with a large cherry crop volume in 2023. The marketer’s Northwest cherry crop spans from southeastern Washington, through The Dalles and Hood River in Oregon, up through the Yakima Valley, then shifts north through Wenatchee and Chelan in Washington, up to the Canadian border.
Sage Fruit partnered with Chelan Fruit during the 2022 cherry season and will continue to do so in 2023, which adds a considerable volume of cherries to its program.
The company’s cherry season kicks off in mid-June, with the first peak loadings coming in late-June to early-July. Good volume is expected through mid-August.
Sage Fruit is carrying both dark sweet and rainier cherries in 2023.
In the last few years transportation professionals have been increasingly asked what technologies they are using to reduce freight-related carbon emissions. According to recent polling, 65% of U.S. consumers “worry about climate-change” when purchasing goods, and 71% of workers say that they want to work for a sustainable company. These factors have caused many shippers to look for more sustainable transportation solutions. However, battery-based energy storage is not yet advanced enough for us to solely rely on renewable energy or electric vehicles for our energy and transportation needs. This technological gap has left a market space open for a temporary energy solution in the form of HVO (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) biofuels.
Biofuels have been championed by sustainability, agricultural, and national security leaders as a way to decrease carbon emissions, strengthen demand for feedstock crops, such as corn and soybeans, and reduce our dependence on foreign fossil fuels. In addition to the listed benefits over traditional diesel, biofuels can be used in diesel engines without costly capital investments. Unfortunately, early biofuels (FAMEs) like ethanol were found to be corrosive to engines and have conflicting economic and environmental effects. Given these limiting factors, biofuels appeared to have a minimal impact until the emergence of second generation biofuels, or HVOs. HVOs are created using a different process than FAMEs, which produces a more sustainable and stable fuel. HVO biofuel is chemically identical to traditional diesel with the added benefits of reducing emissions by 40-60% and having greater resistance to freezing temperatures. In addition, although HVO fuel is currently 10-20% more expensive than diesel, government incentives exist to make it cost competitive while production is scaled to meet the growing demand. Given that gen I biofuels are now cost competitive with diesel, it will only be a matter of years before HVO prices decrease to similar levels. Finally, and arguably most importantly, biofuels give the United States a greater level of energy independence from the Middle East and Russia since they are mostly produced domestically
Although HVOs seem to be a “silver bullet” for transitioning the USA’s transportation sector to a cleaner future, there is a big catch. Not all HVO fuels are created equally! As with almost any emerging market, academic research and government regulations have not kept pace with technological changes. This delay in knowledge, further exacerbated by budget cuts for important investigators like the EPA, has led to acquisitive corporations pushing dangerous chemicals through regulatory processes under the guise of being “cleaner” than diesel. HVO biofuel is a very promising new technology, but there are certain manufacturers to be wary of. When navigating a new market with such variations in fuel quality and production practices, it is crucial to have a trusted transportation partner like the Allen Lund Company with 47 years of experience building resilient supply chains while supporting our local communities. ALC is currently in conversation with one of the US’ largest energy companies to bring legitimately clean HVO fuel to interested shippers and carriers. Please reach out with any questions. We are excited and ready to start meeting your green shipping needs!
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Charlie Fabricant graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2021 with a double major in Economics and Human & Organizational Development with a minor in Environmental Sustainability. He joined the Nashville office as an undergraduate intern in 2021 and has become a Transportation Broker along with the company’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Coordinator.
As part of Georgia Ports’ expansion plans, with more than $1.8 billion in improvements underway, the organization has announced the construction of the new Savannah Transload Facility.
The new facility will be located just one mile away from Garden City Terminal, the largest single-operator container facility in North America.
This 300,000-square-foot transload warehouse will open in July 2023 and will be operated by NFI Industries, a distribution solutions leader.
The authority has indicated that initially, the new facility will be able to handle more than 400 containers a day, totaling more than 150,000 containers a year.
“Cargo moving through the Savannah Transload Facility will start its inland trek to stores and distribution centers faster, saving customers time,” said Georgia Ports in the announcement.
During a video announcement of the new facility, Griff Lynch, Executive director of Georgia Ports said: “If we are going to grow big successfully, the entire supply needs to be ramped up together, and that’s what this building is all about.”
Earlier this year, Georgia Ports Authorities had announced a $170 million investment for 55 hybrid-engine rubber-tired gantry cranes to outfit the Port of Savannah’s Ocean Terminal, as it is redeveloped into an all-container facility.
Domestic onion shipments got off to a slow start in some parts of the country due to weather factors, but volume loadings are now occurring.
The National Onion Association of Eaton, CO reported fewer onion shipments than normal in early May. While supplies remained steady in some areas, weather and a drop in acreage resulted in lower volume in others.
However, as more shippers in additional growing areas became active, loadings have increased.
California, Georgia and Nevada began shipping onions in early May as the season was winding down in Texas. Several other states, including Michigan, New York and in the northwest, have planted for a fall harvest that will start in August.
Mexico is also shipping onions to the U.S., while Canada typically exports onions to the U.S. in the fall. Eagle Eye Produce of Idaho Falls, Idaho, shipped red, white and yellow onions out of California’s Imperial Valley until the end of May, before shifting to the central part of the state. However, Eagle Eye’s primary summer loadings from June to August will be out of New Mexico.
Little Bear Produce of Edinburg, Texas wrapped up its Texas sweet onion harvest in early May has transitioned to New Mexico, where it will ship onions until September. Then the company will import onions from Peru.
Wada Farms Marketing Group of Idaho Falls, Idaho-based reports good shipments of its California onions this spring, despite the cold and rainy spring weather this year.W
