Freshspective

Steady harvest out of both Guatemala and Honduras on cantaloupes. Most growers are coming out of their peaks and starting to go into some recuts, so we are seeing a slight shift on sizing with less jumbo 9s and more 9s and heavy to 12s this week. Growers are having a good season on both quality and yields. No potential supply interruptions expected.  

Oranges

• California Navels: Crop is heavy to large fruit, with supplies peaking on 56/72/48 counts. Small sizes, 88/113/138 counts, remain tight and will continue to be limited throughout the season. Rain this season has contributed to more puff and crease on the fruit. General quality is reported to be good, but there is more choice fruit coming out of pack-outs than typically expected for this time of year.
• California Cara Caras: Sizing is currently peaking on 56/72 counts and is expected to trend larger as the season progresses. Rains have also contributed to size growth, further limiting availability of smaller fruit, 113/138 counts. 
• Florida Juice Oranges: Limited availability on small California navels has pushed demand on Florida juice oranges. Valencias are available with peak sizing on 80/100/125 count . Florida groves experienced freezing temperatures last month which have affected the crops. Growers are anticipating a shorter season with more limited availability. 

Lemons

• California Lemons: Harvest is active across Districts 1 and 2 with District 3 finished for the season. Weather has impacted quality, resulting in more Choice-grade fruit than typically expected for this time of year. Sizing is peaking on 95/115 counts as smaller sizes will remain limited.

Grapefruit

• Florida Grapefruit: Florida grapefruit is exhibiting good quality but crop has been impacted by the February freeze. Most growers are slowing down output to stretch the season through March.
• Texas Grapefruit: Texas grapefruit crop is producing good supplies. Available sizing varies by grower, but overall supply is meeting demand across all sizes.
• California Grapefruit: Ruby Reds and Star Rubies are currently being harvested. No quality concerns are being reported at this time.  

Mandarins

• Import Moroccan Mandarins: This season has been slow overall with less export volume coming to the U.S. Further vessel delays have prolonged available supply. Nadorcott containers are arriving to the ports with much of this fruit committed to contracts. Fruit has been reported to be good quality with some skin defects.
  • California Mandarins: Rain and prolonged fog earlier this year have impacted quality, resulting in softer fruit and growers estimate anywhere between 10-40% fruit drop. Quality has improved with most growers now into their Tango crop but limited availability persists. The excess moisture this season is leading to softer fruit that will impact utilization. The mid- to late-season varieties, Tangos and Murcotts, are projected to see reduced overall volume.
   
  
  
  
  

The U.S. grape market is holding steady heading into March as Peru’s shipments drop below 1 million cartons a week and Chile’s move to newer varieties shifts harvest timing a bit. Promotions should stay solid through March, but heavier shipments from Chile, Brazil, and Mexico could start putting some pressure on prices in April and May.

Offshore honeydew arrivals remain very light into all ports. Growers have had some quality issues, but many are breaking into new fields so we should see improvement. Offshore yields have not been great this season. Mexican honeydews are available in Nogales and have shown good quality and better supplies than offshore. Volume is slightly lighter this week than the past two weeks. 

Region: Veracruz, Mexico

Weather Update:
Martínez de la Torre is expected to warm significantly, with temperatures ranging from approximately 54°F (overnight low) to 86°F (daytime high). Light rain is possible early in the window, followed by mostly dry conditions through March 1st; rain chances remain low overall (generally ~3–11% on the extended outlook).

Market Intel:
The market is changing rapidly so please contact the lime team for more information regarding pricing. 

Sizing Profile:
Peak sizes 175/150/230 and size distribution: 110-8%, 150-20%, 175-25%, 200-15%, 230-20%, and 250-12%.

Quality:  
Stable quality and strong program coverage, with manageable defect levels and a balanced size curve are expected to remain consistent over the next two weeks. Current defects include blanching (6%), oil spots (5%), scarring (3%), and skin breakdown (2%), with 83% of fruit reported in generally good condition. The size mix is centered on 175s (25%), followed by 150s (20%) and 230s (20%).

Looking Ahead:
Forecasts for March remain highly positive. Trees are carrying smaller fruit that will be harvest-ready during March, with good color and overall condition to support our programs. Diverse harvest locations across the state and strong grower partnerships will help keep supply consistent. The outlook for mid-March remains positive. Fruit is anticipated to be harvest-ready during March and April, supporting program requirements and helping sustain stable operations.

SUPPLY MEETING DEMAND FOR PAPAYA IN THE USA MARKET.
Supply conditions have improved at the farms with just enough supply to service demand.  Slightly more volume arriving this week versus last week with growers seeing stable yields and less quality issues. Internal Mexican market remains strong and will keep the overall availability of fruit being exported just right out of Mexico. Supply for at least the next two weeks for papaya production is expected to be stable as weather affects fruit sizing and harvest conditions. Prices point higher in the .S. market and should be stable through March. 
Inventories are showing less availability to offer. 
Majority of sizes are between 6–12s with some surplus fruit.
Quality is reported as good with shorter shell life, stem issues, and lower color.
Color 25%- 50% / 12-14 brix at point of shipping. Ideal temperature for Imperial papaya is 48 degrees to avoid quality issues upon receiving.
Crop outlook:  Forecast has conditions for less supply for the next two weeks.
Market Intel:  Enough supply to service demand.

We are now shipping pears from Oregon and Washington State, where we are loading Bosc, Anjou pears, and red pears. Overall, we have a fantastic pear crop and will have lots of fruit to promote at good prices all season. The Anjou and Red pears are projected to be year-round this year and will be promotable through at least June. The Bartletts are wrapping up out of the Northwest and there are now new-crop imported Bartletts from Argentina that are available on the East Coast. Pricing and quality are both attractive on this variety and I expect them to remain promotable for the next several months. Overall, the pear category will be very promotable the next several months.
 

• Supply is strong across all regions.
• Florida experienced a recent cold front and some rain; however, fields have recovered well, and we are back on normal harvesting schedules. We expect solid supply for the remainder of the month.
• California is fully up and running, with good volume coming out of Santa Maria and Oxnard. We’re seeing strong sizing and color, and with the recent warm weather, production is progressing quickly.
• Mexico is expected to wind down over the next 7–10 days. Several growers have exited as California continues to ramp up, combined with softer quality coming out of Mexico.
  
  

Watermelon supplies are steady out of Southern Mexico shipping out of Edinburg, Texas, and Nogales, Arizona.  Northern Mexico will start around the first week in April.  We are shipping from Yucatan, Mexico, out east.  The cooler weather has delayed the Florida corp; Florida will start at the end of March with light production. Florida will have better production the middle of April.