Fresh Concepts LLC

🎁✨ Happy Holidays from all of us at Fresh Concepts! 🍊🍋 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/Q030fKpx0

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!

Earlier this week, some of our amazing team members attended the 2024 First Watch Leadership Conference! We’re incredibly proud to collaborate with partners like First Watch Restaurants, who share our passion for fresh, quality ingredients and dedication to excellence— from farm to fork. 🍅🥕🧅 Swipe through to catch some of our favorite moments from this incredible event!

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.

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.

Market Alert: Honeydew Last week, we included information regarding the impacts that Tropical Storm Sarah had on Central America in our Market Report. We and our suppliers believe we will be fine in the coming weeks on the cantaloupe, but the honeydew production has become concerning. Yields are currently down considerably, with cull rates falling in the 18-27% range daily, and when you combine this with production out of Mexico being down due to transition, it makes for short supply across the country, and this may impact our supply. We are asking our customers to consider the following while navigating this possible shortfall: If your facility has a fresh-cut operation, it is recommended to adjust the ratio between cantaloupe and honeydew to utilize less honeydew. Advise sales staff of the situation to ensure they are aware replacement of existing inventory may be challenging over the next few weeks. Flexibility of sizing may be required. The cantaloupe market is also very strong, but there will be enough production to satisfy all needs. This situation turned very quickly on us this week, and we feel supply will be short for two weeks. We apologize if there is any inconvenience and appreciate your patience during this shortfall.

Happy Thanksgiving from Fresh Concepts! We’re grateful for our incredible network of growers, distributors, and partners who help bring fresh produce to tables across the country.

Market Report 11.27.24 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 supply of fresh produce from South Georgia and Florida to be extremely volatile; in Florida it's too soon to assess all the damage to crops and infrastructure that were severely impacted. Commodities certain to be immediately impacted are the following: Citrus, Corn, Cotton, Tomatoes, Soft Squash, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Peanuts, Pecans, Mixed Hot Pepper, Greens, Cabbage, Strawberries and Green Beans, to name a few. As of today, we are seeing some growers reporting total losses and declaring Act of Gods, some growers are projecting to salvage less than 30% of their crops, and some will replant. 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. Avocado demand for fruit remains higher than expected and volumes are just lighter due to the holiday in Mexico last week. The weather in Yuma was very hot when the early planting was done, so some of the earlier crops in Yuma were affected. Between Transition, the aftereffects of the heat and Diamondback moth, and now the cold weather moving in, Transition is going to continue to be rough. Lastly, with some growers still loading out of Salinas and Yuma, 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. Things are starting to look a bit better but it is going to take everyone a while to get back on track with all of the issues that the industry faced these past few months.

Craving something sweet this season? Try this satisfying cranberry bread recipe from Natasha's Kitchen, LLC! It's the perfect balance of refreshing and filling, packed with cranberries and real orange zest. Perfect for the holidays or anytime you need a cozy treat 🍊🍞 https://hubs.la/Q02ZnT-c0

Market Report 11.21.2024 The impacts from Hurricane Helene and Milton are being felt across the entire Southeast; we continue to keep those in harm's way in our thoughts and prayers. We expect to see supply of fresh produce from South Georgia and Florida to be extremely volatile; in Florida it's too soon to assess all the damage to crops and infrastructure that were severely impacted. Commodities certain to be immediately impacted are the following: Citrus, Corn, Cotton, Tomatoes, Soft Squash, Bell Pepper, Eggplant, Peanuts, Pecans, Mixed Hot Pepper, Greens, Cabbage, Strawberries and Green Beans, to name a few. As of today, we are seeing some growers reporting total losses and declaring Act of Gods, some growers are projecting to salvage less than 30% of their crops, and some will replant. We could see supply GAPS over the next several weeks on the West Coast as most of the offshore fruit on the front end of the season loads in the East. In the West, weather impacts and viral pressure have caused supply shortfalls across the region on all varieties. Transition is winding down and we are continuing to see short supplies and escalating markets. Between transition, the aftereffects of the heat and Diamondback moth, and now the cold weather moving in, Transition is going to continue to be rough. Lastly, with some growers still loading out of Salinas and Yuma, 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. We have about a week to 10 days left before we are through Transition so, please just know that we are working with the growers and trying to get through this the best we can! While things will improve once we are in Yuma, we will still see some issues throughout December on some items. With Salinas ending early and growers having to pull sooner than expected from Yuma, it will take a little while until everyone is all caught up and back to regular business.