Freshspective
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 | Issue 167
Keep up with the most recent market trends in our Freshspective updates. Discover what's influencing conventional produce, organic options, temperature-controlled capacity, and floral so you can plan ahead and avoid disruption.
Conventional Vegetables
🌎 Asparagus Market Update – Transition Almost Complete! 🌱
We’re just about done with the transition back to loading in Miami with Peruvian asparagus, and things are running smoothly! 🇵🇪
Meanwhile, Caborca is wrapping up, with the last of the fields going into dormancy to get ready for next season. This marks the end of the Caborca season; from here, we’ll rely mostly on Peru for year-round supply until we kick off the next Caborca season in January.
🗓️ What’s Ahead: May & June Supply Strategy
We’re excited to bring in local product from Michigan starting in May, adding fresh volume and regional flexibility to our program. 🇺🇸
In addition, we’ll have product crossing from Canada, rounding out a strong supply plan heading into summer. 🇨🇦
💬 Let’s connect and start establishing programs—there’s a great opportunity to plan ahead, lock in volume, and deliver quality asparagus across the board.
Reach out—we’re ready to build the right plan for your supply needs! 🚀🌿
Bell Peppers
[email protected]Mexico is quickly coming to the end of their season. We expect markets to start getting active as demand will transition to Florida. Florida has had a good run, but normally we see Florida ending toward the middle of May. We will be transitioning to Georgia by the beginning of June.
Broccoli
[email protected]The Southeast has started on broccoli and the market remains soft. There is good availability in all growing areas right now.
Cabbage
[email protected]
Cabbage continues with strong volume out of Florida for a few more weeks. As we make our way through April, Georgia will be starting. Quality is good in both Florida and Texas. Look for deals coming out of both regions.
Celery
[email protected]Celery supplies are steady with good volume available in Oxnard. Most growers have finished harvesting in the desert growing regions. The weather forecast calls for average temperatures with no rain expected over the next two weeks. Please reach out to your Robinson Fresh representative for updates and information regarding availability and promotions.
Cucumbers
[email protected]Good supply all around and Florida is starting to get into their volume. Mexico is also having their final push, but their season will be ending by the middle of May , weather permitting. Georgia is still scheduled to end by the end of May
Greens
[email protected]Georgia has good volume on all flavors. Temperatures in the growing area continue to be optimal - warm days and cooler nights. Quality is excellent!
Leaf Lettuce
[email protected]Iceberg lettuce, romaine, red and green leaf supplies are plentiful with many growers looking to promote. Quality reports are showing great overall quality and good weights. The weather forecast calls for cooler temperatures with no rain expected this week. The primary shipping points are Salinas and Santa Maria, with some availability in Oxnard. Please reach out to your Robinson Fresh representative for more details.
Potatoes
[email protected]North Florida has started with reds and yellows, and Immokalee has finished for the season. No changes in pricing to report.
Squash
[email protected]We saw great demand last week. One thing to remember is that Nogales is quickly coming to the end of their season (early- mid May), which will create a spike in markets for the short term. The good news is that Georgia is scheduled to start at the end of the month.
Sweet Corn
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Conventional Fruits
Apples
We are currently shipping out of storage this time of year and we still have good supplies of most varieties available out of Washington. Most varieties are still very promotable, and growers are looking to push apples. There are a few varieties that have tight supply. All Honeycrisp packs, sizes, and grades are tight and continue to increase in price. We expect this trend to continue until the new crop arrives in mid-August. Other items that are firming up are the premium Gala 80 size and larger, as well as the premium Fuji 72 size and larger. The import season has now started with small quantities of apples arriving to the East Coast. The first arrivals are mostly Gala apples and will be followed shortly by some Honeycrisp in a couple of weeks. Although this is a welcome new supply, we don’t expect to see a drop in the market pricing in the near future. The imports should provide a stabilizing effect and keep the market from any significant price increases. Overall, we still have a large crop of apples to sell and expect to see attractive pricing on most varieties into the early summer this year.
Avocados
Mexico-
986 loads crossed for the U.S. market this past week in preparation for Holy Week as it is a short week of labor due to the holiday. There is a good amount of inventory and supply out of Mexico. We are moving toward the Negra crop, darker blush to the skin of the fruit. We are seeing a higher level of oil content and dry matter in the fruit. This allows fruit to ripen faster and the taste profile to be more tasteful and buttery texture. We are approaching a traditionally big pull for Cinco de Mayo. There is fruit of all sizes from 84s to 36s. It is a good time to be promoting avocados from Mexico!
California-
Season and harvesting have begun as long as weather allows. At the beginning of the season, they had some delays due to rain. Expected to have great profile fruit. California avocados will be preferred for customers in the West for proximity.
Peru-
Season and harvest have started and there is fruit on boats heading to the U.S. Small fruit is available but as we progress in the season it is known that Peruvian fruit sizes up and will peak on 48s. Clean good fruit is expected, and shippers are working on sending fruit with the correct minimum dry matter to the fruit.
Colombia-
Limited shipping and waiting for the TRAVIEZA season to start. Typically, Colombian fruit will have small sizes. We will see a good amount of 84s and 70s in the manifests.
Bush Berries
[email protected]
Blueberries:
Florida: Rain and unfavorable weather causing a delayed peak and limiting availability until after the Easter holiday.
Georgia: Blueberry crop out of Georgia is delayed until the beginning of May due to weather conditions. The crop looks the same size as last year, leading to promotion opportunities in May.
Mexico: Limited availability. Mexico is having a lighter than anticipated season but is filling in where domestic is falling short.
Mexico: Steady volume. More availability in the marketplace this week, with steady demand.
Santa Maria: Projecting a late-May start.
Watsonville: Projecting a late-June start.
Georgia: Looking at an early-June start. Overall, everything is looking like a strong season.
Santa Maria: Projecting a late-May start.
Watsonville: Projecting a late-June start.
Cantaloupe
Overall, lighter inbounds into all ports this week with volume allocated to previous commitments/advertisements and very little open market. Looking ahead, we will start to see supplies decrease as we get into the end of April/early May as offshore begins to wrap up out of Guatemala and Honduras. Domestic production out of the Imperial Valley and greater Phoenix region is expected to start mid- to late-May.
Citrus
Oranges: California continues to have good navel crop this season. Quality is good, with brix averaging around 12%. Most growers have started to harvest gibbed fruit and some are getting into their late lanes. Crop is peaking on 88/72 counts with the bookend sizes being more limited. Large fruit is less available and demand on small fruit is up.
California cara cara crop sizing profile is similar to navels. Cara caras should be available through April and into - to late-May, depending on the grower. Blood orange availability also depends on grower, with some having fruit through May. Minneola crop is peaking on small fruit, 100/125 counts, with large fruit more limited this season as it has been across the board on California citrus commodities. Minneolas should be finishing up in the next few weeks.
Florida has good volume on Valencias, peaking on 80/100/125 counts. Fruit looks clean with brix averaging 11. Product should be available through June.
Mandarins: Moroccan Nadorcotts and Murcotts are available on the East Coast. Quality is reported to be good with overall volume expected to slow down as we approach May.
California has strong supply of mandarins with Murcotts and Tangos available. Overall volume for the season is up from last year, with sizing peaking on 28 count, and should be available through mid-June.
Grapes
U.S. imports of South American table grapes continue to trend downward, with week 14 volumes slipping below 2.5 million boxes. The reduced supply is already influencing the spot market, prompting importers to adjust their strategies. In some cases, cold storage remains stocked with aging inventory, setting the stage for a split market—where fresher, higher-quality arrivals command a premium over older, declining lots.
Honeydew
Import honeydews are lighter this week and will continue to slow in the coming weeks as Guatemala and Honduras wrap up production. There is good honeydew supply and availability in Nogales coming in from Northern Mexico which will continue through May. Domestic honeydew production will begin late May; typically, domestic honeydews tend to be a week or so later than domestic cantaloupes.
Limes
Region: Veracruz, Mexico
Weather Update:
The forecast for next week indicates two days with a chance of rain, although the probability is low (27% and 34%, respectively). Temperatures will range from 60°F to 91°F, so a smooth week is expected, with no disruptions to the scheduled harvests.
Market Intel:
The demand for limes has been steady.
Sizing Profile:
Peak sizes are 200/230/175s; and size distribution is 110-5%, 150-16%, 175-22%, 200-25%, 230-24%, and 250-8%.
Quality:
Quality issues being reported: oil spots, blanching, scarring, and skin breakdown.
Looking Ahead:
We’ve entered April with a conservative volume, mostly medium-sized fruit. Light rains have helped keep both the fruit and trees well hydrated. The available volume is sufficient to cover all our programs.
The small fruit for May is already on the trees, and current conditions are truly favorable. The fruit is reaching its peak maturity. During the field visit, we observed small, clean, green, and well-managed fruit. May will allow us to achieve an excellent volume with consistent quality, fulfill all program requirements, and ensure smooth operations. An excellent month ahead!
Mangos
We are on week 16 and this week will be a low-production packing week as many, if not all, packing houses will be closed from the April 17th to 21st for Holy Week. We expect lower volume to be shipped week 16 and even lower volume week 17 as it will take the growers several days to bounce back to the normal rhythm of packing. Expect markets to be stable as we see less supply from Mexico within the next two weeks.
Papaya
Supply NOT Meeting Demand for Papaya in U.S. Market
Supply conditions have changed dramatically due to lack of fruit condition for harvest. Fruit is struggling with changing weather significantly reducing the fruit available for export. Weather is currently NOT the best for papaya production and growers expect conditions to remain that way for at least the next two weeks. Contracts are being serviced but with NO fruit available to offer. Prices are much higher in the U.S. market and should remain high for the remainder of April.
Inventories are showing some availability to offer.
Majority of sizes are between 6 –12s with NO surplus fruit.
Quality is reported as good with fruit showing less speckling and mostly green.
Color 25%- 50% / 12-14 brix at point of shipping. The ideal temperature for Imperial papaya is 48 degrees to avoid quality issues upon receiving.
Crop Outlook: Forecast is for tight supply for the next two weeks.
Market Intel: There is enough supply to service demand.
Pears
The Northwest pear crop this season is very small as the crop was down between 30% and 50%, depending on the variety. We are currently shipping Anjou and red pears out of Washington. We expect the market to remain tight and the pricing to remain on the higher side for the foreseeable future. The import season has now begun, and we now have imported Bartletts, Bosc, and Anjou available on the East Coast. We have good supplies of Bartlett pears arriving and, although pricing is higher than normal, the quality is reported to be good, and sales are brisk. The imported Anjou and Bosc are just beginning to arrive in small quantities and the pricing is fairly high on these two items; we expect it to remain this way through the month of April. Overall, we have pears to sell but pricing will remain higher than normal until new crop starts out of the Northwest in the fall.
Pineapple
Availability: Supply Barely Meeting Demand for U.S. Market
Growing region: MEXICO - Good volume of fruit crossing out of Mexico this week but some trucks are struggling to cross in time. Production is slightly better than the prior week with a good distribution of sizes peaking on 6s and 7s. Mexico’s internal market has strengthened, pulling more fruit, and adding pressure to export volume. Weather at the pineapple growing regions remains fair with good yields and good quality. Transportation out of Mexico is stable with good availability of trucks to service pineapple shippers but some delays have happened due to long lines at crossings. COSTA RICA - Supply is stable but with little to NO surplus as most growers are still packing for the Easter pull. Availability is low on all counts with 6s and 7s still as tight as last week. There is good quality of fruit being exported to the U.S. and Europe. Market is higher as Costa Rican imports account for the new 10% tariff in effect after April 5th. Tariffs are expected to have an impact of +/- $1.00 per case, a significant increase to an already high market. NO significant surplus is expected, and prices will likely increase as we close the Easter pull.
• Mexican fruit quality is GOOD with better condition overall. COSTA RICA - Volume is stable AT PACKING with the expectation of tight supply in the month of April. NO surplus fruit is currently available to pack on all counts. The U.S. market is stable on all counts.
• Forecast: Little to NO surplus fruit is being offered at U.S. shipping points by large grower/shippers at this time. The market is stable versus last week.
Strawberries
Supplies from Santa Maria and Oxnard, California are tight going into the Easter holiday due to limited supply and cooler weather. There should be more volume after the Easter holiday and there will be promotable stem strawberries. Baja California will be winding down in the next couple of weeks and the Salinas/Watsonville area has just started some limited harvesting which will increase in the next few weeks.
Weather outlook:
Santa Maria, California - The week of April 14th is forecast on Wednesday through Friday to be partly cloudy with showers on Thursday, and then sunny for the weekend. Highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s. The week of April 21st is forecast on Monday through Friday to be mostly sunny, with some clouds, and then sunny for the weekend. Highs in the 60s and lows in the 40s.
Oxnard - The week of April 14th is forecast on Wednesday through Friday to be mostly cloudy, and then sunny for the weekend. Highs in the 60s and lows in the 50s. The week of April 21st is forecast on Monday and Tuesday to be mostly sunny, Wednesday sunny, Thursday through Saturday mostly sunny, and then sunny skies on Sunday. Highs in the 60s to low 70s and lows in the 50s.
Watermelon
Supplies are a little tight this week on seedless. Florida is finishing in Southern Florida and the Arcadia, Florida, area should get going at the end of the week. Edinburg ,Texas, and Nogales, Arizona are a bit tight with the Easter holiday. Not a lot of volume crossing this week from Mexico, but supplies will pick up next week. We will have good volume to promote in May.
Organic Fruits & Vegetables
Organic Apples
[email protected]We had a good crop overall on organic apples this season out of Washington. Movement has been very strong in this category across the country, and this is starting to put some upward pricing pressure on most of the varieties. We expect to see adequate supplies on most of the key items into early summer this year; although, we are expecting prices to be higher than last year. The one variety that is extremely tight and very pricey is the organic Honeycrisp. This variety will remain extremely scarce and expensive until the new crop arrives in mid-August. Organic Granny Smith will be the next tightest variety. We are starting to see some price changes now and this will continue to trend up over the next several months. Overall, we will have supplies on most varieties into the summer this year.
Organic Citrus
[email protected]We have started to see a change on a few items this week. First, we are starting to see navel oranges tighten as the season starts to wind down. We will be starting Valencia oranges the week of the 21st. Sizing will be mostly 72 count, 88 count, and 113 count to start the season. There are still plenty of lemons available with the peak sizes still coming in on 75 and 95 counts. There is a fair amount of choice starting now. The grapefruit market has been flat with not a ton of demand. We are seeing the market hold steady with some daily deals available on certain sizes.
Organic Dry Vegetables
[email protected]All colors of bell peppers are available right now out of Nogales. Sizing and volume vary each day on arrivals. For the most part, markets are steady and not very strong. The mini sweet pepper market has turned and is now higher in price with limited supply. Roma tomatoes are going strong as well and are another item that could be a good promotion.
Organic Melons
[email protected]Organic mini melons will start in May from Northern Mexico, shipping out of Nogales.
Organic Onions
[email protected]There is a two-tier price structure right now on onions. There are still good supplies on yellow and sweet onions coming out of Washington, and pricing is still moderate. The red onion market out of Washington has jumped as the supply is very limited on open business as most are saving their volume for contracts.
There are new-crop onions coming out of Texas now and all three are available--yellows, reds, and sweets. The pricing is strong as they are just getting started and waiting for the Northwest to clean up this month. We finished our onions out of Hollister last week but will be back in with red and yellow new-crop onions.
Organic Pears
[email protected]The organic pear crop was severely damaged this season and down around 50%. We are still shipping organic Anjou in very small quantities. Imported organic Bartletts have started to arrive now at the U.S. but expect to see pricing much higher than last season. Overall, organic pears will continue to be tight and expensive until the new crop is harvested in September.
Organic Potatoes
[email protected]Colorado potatoes are still available but finding a quality red potato is not possible. Quality on russets is very nice though. The market on russets continues to be strong and cartons are tight with high prices at this point. The yellow supply dried up over the last week in Colorado. So, until new crop starts in California, the yellow market is going to become active. Washington potatoes are starting to dry up. Most of the russet supply is either gone or committed, so finding russets on the open market is tough. There are still good supplies on both red and yellow potatoes, and the market is steady on them.
Organic Squash
[email protected]Hard squash out of Nogales is available but not as plentiful as it has been the last few weeks. Markets are starting to rise a little on all varieties. Soft squash is all over the place, depending on the day you want to buy. Currently, supply on Italian and yellow squash is tight as is the pricing. Cucumbers are plentiful this week and the market is cheap. There is supply but pre-books are recommended for volume orders.
Organic Sweet Potatoes
[email protected]As smooth as the market and supply have been on sweet potatoes, we are starting to see some changes. It is the time of the year when storage sweet potatoes start to dry up and pricing jumps. The first variety for this to happen is with the Japanese variety. We have seen that market jump over the last week. Overall, the rest of the varieties are in good supply for now and pricing remains steady.
Transportation
REFRIGERATED TRUCKLOAD
East Coast United States
The East Coast refrigerated market has remained very soft with capacity readily available, in line with seasonal trends. Typical produce season is ramping up, starting out of Southern Florida, moving its way into Southern Georgia, and eventually to the Carolinas in the coming months. Small pockets of produce have started to ship out of Southern Florida already, but not enough to shift the market yet. Expect volumes to truly pick up around mid-April when produce begins to fully ripen.
Central United States
The Midwest temperature-controlled market continues to be relatively soft with capacity available, especially for standard palletized chilled goods with good load/unload times. The outlook for April and May is for more of the same.
Capacity out of the Midsouth is also readily available, although same-day freight may see some tightness. By May, this dynamic will likely shift further. Make loads as attractive as possible to help secure capacity.
West Coast United States
Costs have declined in the refrigerated market on the West Coast due to an excess supply of capacity, aligning with historical first-quarter trends across California, Arizona, and the Pacific Northwest. At the end of March, demand began to shift from Yuma, Arizona, to Northern California and may continue to do so in early April. This could potentially cause short-term rate spikes due to changes in where produce is being harvested, though costs are expected to stabilize as carrier supply adjusts. Meanwhile, outbound freight costs from the Pacific Northwest are likely to remain low, although inbound rates may see increases to offset demand dynamics.
GLOBAL UPDATES
OCEAN CARRIER CONSOLIDATION - Fresh produce growers and shippers attempting to move cargo globally via ocean vessels are dealing with scenarios where ocean carriers genuinely dictate some markets. They dictate and determine the marketability and viability of export markets for many fresh produce exporters. Shippers are being forced to commit earlier to ocean lines to reserve space for upcoming seasons, and spot market space on vessels is nearly impossible to secure.
TARIFF IMPACTS - Fresh produce growers and shippers in North America are bracing for the potential implementation of new tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. These tariffs could significantly affect the cost structure and market dynamics for many fresh produce exporters. Growers and shippers are being advised to diversify their markets and strengthen local partnerships to mitigate the impact of these tariffs. Additionally, there is an increased focus on leveraging technology and innovative practices to enhance supply chain resilience and reduce dependency on any single market. The uncertainty surrounding these tariffs is prompting industry players to prepare for multiple outcomes, ensuring they can continue to provide a steady supply of fresh produce to consumers despite potential cost increases.
DEMURRAGE/DETENTION CHARGES - Shippers negotiating with ocean carriers or freight forwarders on perishable cargo contracts should request as much free time at destination as possible to reduce the risk of detention/demurrage charges when inspections/fumigations or drayage capacity constraints delay cargo delivery at destination. Unavoidable and unprecedented demurrage and detention charges due to delays in turning cargo at destination continue in 2025.
For more global freight insights please visit Global Freight Markets Insights | C.H. Robinson.