Fresh Alliance

🎁✨ Happy Holidays from all of us at Fresh Alliance! 🍎🍇 May this holiday season bring you joy, peace, and a moment to enjoy the fruits (and vegetables) of all the hard work you put in this year! Learn more about how we can support you in 2025: https://hubs.la/Q030fXL80

Over the weekend in the heart of our growing region, Salinas, CA our Fresh Division team had a blast bringing in some holiday cheer and celebrating together. Thank you to everyone who came out! What fun we had 🧑🎄 Can’t wait for another fabulous year with this great team. 🥕🥦🍓 Wishing everyone Holliday cheer!!

We wanted to recognize our partner, Mission Produce. Mission Produce has a specialized team of avocado and mango ripe masters who have pioneered science-based ripening techniques using industry-leading technology and four decades of artistic intuition to establish a global benchmark for consistency and quality. Mission Produce has an unparalleled sourcing strategy built with vertical integration in Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, and South Africa, plus strong grower relationships in premium-growing regions worldwide. Mission Produce provides a comprehensive end-to-end service, including around-the-clock support, logistics & transportation management, order flexibility, promotion support, and so much more to help you maximize efficiencies, drive demand, and build profitable programs.

Market Report 12.19.24 We expect to see the supply of fresh produce from Florida to be extremely volatile through the end of the year. Commodities still feeling the impacts are the following: Citrus, Corn, Cotton, Tomatoes, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Peanuts, Pecans and Mixed Hot Pepper. We are currently harvesting from regions that saw tremendous losses; some growers are in Force Majeure still as they deal with poor quality, 50% plus loss to crops and limited availability. This should all slowly improve as we move further south into the Immokalee districts between now and January. Markets will be hit and miss through the first week of January. In the West, tighter supply available to market on mushrooms; weather impacts and viral pressure have caused supply shortfalls across the region on all varieties. The holiday season has arrived, and increasing industry demand is driven by upcoming holiday promotions. Avocado availability has improved to meet this demand, with stable prices and a narrowing price gap between sizes 48 and 60. The next few weeks present strong promotional opportunities across large, medium, and small fruit. Demand is expected to remain high through February, with stable-to-higher prices anticipated during the final two weeks of the year. However, Christmas and New Year’s both falling on Wednesdays will impact weekly harvest levels. Strong field demand this week aims to ensure adequate supplies for the holidays. While select sizes may offer hot-buy opportunities, the overall market is expected to remain strong into the new year. Christmas is right around the corner and transition is wrapping up. We are finally starting to see some relief from the heat damage we had in Yuma and Salinas. Quality and supplies are improving across the board. As a reminder, some growers are still loading out of Salinas and Oxnard and there will be transfer fees on some items with some growers. Please be aware that you may see some of these fees if you are loading in one location. Some growers have items that do not transfer to Yuma so they will have fees throughout the Yuma season. Happy Holidays everyone!

We are excited to share this week's Fresh Fruit & Veg Feature with you! This week, Figs!! Seasonal Availability: • Northern Hemisphere: Peak season from June to September (California, Mediterranean, Turkey). • Southern Hemisphere: Available February to May (Brazil, Chile, South Africa). • Year-round supply through dried figs and imports. Nutritional Benefits: • High in fiber: Promotes digestion and gut health. • Rich in antioxidants: Supports cellular health and reduces inflammation. • Source of vitamins: Contains vitamin A, K, and minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium. • Low in calories but high in natural sugars, offering a healthy energy boost. Culinary Uses: • Eaten fresh or dried as a snack. • Popular in baking (fig bars, cakes), preserves, and jams. • Used in savory dishes: Complements cheese, prosciutto, and salads. • Common in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. Global Production: • Top producers: Turkey (largest producer and exporter), Egypt, Morocco, and California (U.S.). • Dried figs are a significant export, ensuring year-round availability.

Over the weekend the Atlanta Fresh Division team had a blast bringing in some holiday cheer and celebrating together. Thank you to everyone who came out! What fun we had 🧑🎄 Can’t wait for another fabulous year with this great team. 🥕🥦🍓

Market Report 12.12.24 The impacts from Hurricane Helene and Milton are expected to be felt across the entire Southeast through the end of the year and as we approach the Holidays, we continue to keep those in harm's way in our thoughts and prayers. We expect to see the supply of fresh produce from Florida to be extremely volatile through the end of the year. We are mostly done now with the harvest in Georgia until the spring. Commodities still feeling the impacts are the following: Citrus, Corn, Cotton, Tomatoes, Soft Squash, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Peanuts, Pecans, Mixed Hot Pepper and Green Beans, to name a few. Looking ahead, strong sales and promotion opportunities are anticipated in the coming month. If current market conditions hold, another early start to the domestic season could be on the horizon. Rain has been reported in the Guatemalan growing regions, contributing to ongoing shipping delays that may persist throughout the month. We are finally starting to see some relief from the heat damage we had in Yuma and Salinas. Quality and supplies are improving across the board. Growers will be holding on to averages and you may still see some prorates. Transition threw us a few curve balls, but we are starting to see relief. As a reminder, some growers are still loading out of Salinas and Oxnard and there will be transfer fees on some items with some growers. Please be aware that you may see some of these fees if you are loading in one location. Some growers have items that do not transfer to Yuma so they will have fees throughout the Yuma season.

We want to recognize our partner, Sirna & Sons Produce. Sirna & Sons is a fourth-generation, family-run wholesale food distributor. In Sirna & Sons 81 years of service, Sirna & Sons has continually provided premium produce and competitive pricing. Sirna & Sons Produce is proud to bring you quality products from growers nationwide, worldwide, and locally. Sirna & Sons are more than produce... Need dairy? Sirna & Sons has it! Last-minute catering, no problem. Sirna & Sons in-house produce processing facility, Christine's Cuts, has you covered. Sirna & Sons distributes their fresh arrivals six days a week to restaurants, hotels, country clubs, schools and institutions throughout Ohio, Central Pennsylvania and Northern West Virginia. You can count on us to provide nothing less than fresh!

Market Report 12.05.24 The impacts from Hurricane Helene and Milton are expected to be felt across the entire Southeast through the end of the year and as we approach the Holidays, we continue to keep those in harm's way in our thoughts and prayers. We expect to see the supply of fresh produce from Florida to be extremely volatile through the end of the year. We are mostly done now with the harvest in Georgia until the spring. Transition is almost complete, but we are continuing to see some short supplies and escalating markets. The damage from the heat in Yuma and Salinas left lingering issues and we will most likely feel those effects until the end of the year. Broccoli is still very tight and will likely be prorated. While the heat negatively affected the broccoli market, the cold weather will now slow growth and make the market even worse. Growers are doing their best, but you can expect broccoli to be an issue throughout the rest of the year. The weather in Yuma is starting to improve but there have still been some frosty mornings. That has been one of the factors in the yields continuing to be low as we have moved into Yuma. Transition has thrown us a few curve balls and has been a bit rough but we are starting to come out the other side. As a reminder, some growers are still loading out of Salinas and there will be transfer fees on some items with some growers. This is normal and happens each year during Transition. Please be aware that you may see some of these fees if you are loading in one location and not all the items have been transferred over to the new location yet. Most growers are in Yuma now, but we do still have a few growers still in the process with some items and some items are still being transferred.

We are excited to share this week's Fresh Fruit & Veg Feature with you! This week, Cherries!! Seasonal Availability: • Northern Hemisphere: Peak season from May to August (U.S., Europe). • Southern Hemisphere: November to February (Chile, Australia). • Year-round supply via imports between hemispheres. Nutritional Benefits: • High in antioxidants (anthocyanins) and vitamin C. • Low-calorie (~50 cal per 100g), high in fiber. • Contains melatonin for better sleep. • Supports heart health and reduces inflammation. Culinary Uses: • Eaten fresh, used in baking (pies, tarts), jams, and beverages. • Pair well with savory dishes like meats. • Available dried and frozen for year-round use. Global Production: • Top producers: Turkey, U.S. (Washington, California), Chile. • Key markets: U.S., EU, and China. Growing global demand for health benefits.