NPC Powered by Foodbuy

12/24/2025

May your holidays be merry and bright!

Thank you for partnering with NPC Powered by Foodbuy!

12/22/2025

🚨Market Alert: Apples

September’s prolonged heat required heavy irrigation to protect tree health and maintain fruit quality. While this effort succeeded, it also led to larger fruit sizes across the industry.

Read on for a crop update and suggested adjustments:

🍎Gala

Washington State 4M+ boxes below last year’s volume. Current sizing trends show Galas peaking medium to big sizes, leaving very few 125/138ct available. Gala market will be higher as the year goes on. It's highly recommended, if possible, to switch to other red varieties such as Fuji or Pink Lady.

🍏Granny Smith

The overall crop is packing big sizes. 125/138 are virtually unavailable. Unfortunately, this is the only green apple variety without an equivalent. It is forecast to be on premium market cost. Upon possibilities, it is encouraged to start planning for other fruits as alternative.

Learn more at nproduce.com

12/16/2025

📢 MARKET ALERT: Pineapples🍍

The pineapple industry is entering one of its most challenging periods in many years, and consumers should be prepared for continued tightening supply and elevated prices as we move into Q1 2026.

Excessive rainfall, root rot and fusarium, low sunlight, adverse weather and fungal pressure are all creating a perfect storm which in turn produces smaller fruit and lower overall yields, increasing costs and reducing supply. 🌪️

We will continue to keep you in the know with proactive recommendations as they become necessary such as potentially opening up spec on sizing. 🍍

12/15/2025

🚨Seasonal Shift Alert🚨

Every year, grapes and melons shift from U.S. fields to global imports, impacting availability, quality, and pricing.

Here’s what you need to know:

🍇Grapes
Domestic (CA): July–Nov
Imports: Dec–May
Mexico bridge: May–July

🍈Melons
Domestic (CA/AZ): May–Nov
Imports (Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica): Dec–May

Because of weather, harvest timing, and logistics considerations, it's important to be aware of this annual transition!

12/08/2025

Did you know? Every year, the produce industry shifts from domestic growing regions to import supply.

For both grapes and melons, this transition is a critical period where weather, harvest timing, logistics, and market behavior all influence availability, quality, and market pricing.

🍇Grapes

✅The U.S. grape season, primarily through California, typically runs from July to late November or early December.

✅Offshore import season starts in December and lasts up until May.

✅Mexico import season is used to bridge the gap between late May and July, when domestic grapes start again.

🍈Melons

✅The domestic season from California and Arizona typically runs from May to late November.

✅Imported melons, primarily from Guatemala, Honduras, and Costa Rica, are sourced from December to May.

11/26/2025

⚠️ EXTREME MARKET ALERT: Strawberries 🍓

Strawberries are still under an extreme market alert this week due to various factors. Here's what you need to know:

▪️California received 4–6 inches of rain over the course of last week, halting harvest and pushing most orders.
▪️No harvest is expected Thursday due to Thanksgiving.
▪️ Mexico’s cooler temperatures cut yields by 70%+, offering no relief. Additionally, there have been delays in trucks crossing the border.
▪️Florida has started very light production, with significant volume not expected until late December.
▪️Quality remains good despite smaller sizing.

Stay up-to-date on fresh produce commodities by joining NPC Powered by Foodbuy. We post market outlook reports every week at nproduce.com 💻

11/25/2025

⏰The New York Produce Show is coming up next week and the NPC Powered by Foodbuy team is excited to attend.

We look forward to joining this massive produce-focused event in North America's largest produce buying center. Meet with us there to learn more about:

🍎Which resources can help you stay ahead of fresh produce shortages
🥕Navigating grower and shipper relationships across the United States
🥑How managed produce services improve efficiency within your team

We look forward to seeing you there!

11/18/2025

🚨MARKET ALERT: Berries 🍓

Berry availability and quality varies across types, with strawberries on extreme alert. Here's what you need to know:

⚠️ Strawberries - EXTREME ALERT⚠️
California’s Santa Maria and Oxnard regions are forecasted to receive over 5” of rain in the next 5 days, halting production through mid-week and possibly 7–10 days pending quality checks. This will cause harvest delays, reductions, or cancellations, impacting loading schedules, pack styles, labels, and potentially leading to substitutions.

Central Mexico’s output is increasing but is insufficient to offset California’s decline or meet demand, though quality is strong with some smaller sizing. Florida has begun very light production, with regular harvests and meaningful volume expected by the second week of December.

⚠️Raspberries
Southern California supplies remain very limited through December, while Southern and Baja Mexico provide fair but weather-affected quality, with some soft or overripe fruit. Volumes from Mexico are expected to increase in the coming weeks, helping to ease current shortages.

⚠️Blueberries
Availability has improved after earlier delays and is expected to remain strong through Thanksgiving. Mexico’s production is slowly ramping up with limited volumes through Texas, but supplies should continue to strengthen in the coming weeks.

⚠️Blackberries
Supplies are slow due to recent rains in Mexico, but if conditions stay dry, harvest volumes should improve. Availability is expected to strengthen and remain strong through November. Some soft fruit and red cell/color reversion are occurring due to recent heat, rain, and humidity.

🫐 Keep a finger on the fresh produce pulse with NPC Powered by Foodbuy's Market Outlook reports ⤵️
https://lnkd.in/eqBefT-6

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11/06/2025

NPC Powered by Foodbuy's partners go the extra miles to provide high-quality products all year.🚛

Taylor Farms is one of many leaf produce producers that moves their entire processing operation from Salinas Valley, CA to Yuma, AZ each fall, in order to maintain continuous supply of products like lettuce, celery, and broccoli crowns.

Within 56 hours, Taylor Farms moves:

⚙️1.4K tons of equipment
👷100s of members of the processing workforce
🏭Entire processing facilities

All to keep operations smooth and meet continued product demand.🌱
https://youtu.be/wqgKktR-EWo?si=Cq6IjcahVFJhHf8-

It happens twice a year. We transition between production facilities in Salinas, CA and Yuma, AZ. As a source-based supplier, we follow the growing seasons t...

11/03/2025

🚛 Moving 50+ semi-trucks full of produce processing equipment 600+ miles is no easy feat. Yet our NPC Powered by Foodbuy partners do it twice a year during leaf transition periods.

🥬GreenGate Fresh LLLP shares an informative video that takes you behind the scenes of the fall transition from Salinas Valley, CA to Yuma, AZ.

❓ Why make the move?
☁️ The Salinas Valley is a prime region for cool‑weather growing, but as winter approaches, its weather becomes less favorable. Dense fog, cooler temperatures, and shorter day‑lengths reduce productivity.

☀️ The Yuma area offers more favorable conditions for winter production: more sunshine, milder winters, and the ability to continue production when coastal California is slowing.

The fresh‑produce market increasingly expects a year‑round supply of lettuce, greens, etc. To meet that, growers shift regions as the season ends in one region and begins in another. 🥬

The move from Salinas to Yuma is one of the hallmark transitions that help maintain continuous supply.

Watch the video below to learn more! ⤵️

https://vimeo.com/129052926?fl=pl&fe=sh

This is "GreenGate Fresh - Fresh Modern Marvel" by TMD on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

10/29/2025

November and December mark the seasonal transition from Salinas, California to Yuma, Arizona for leaf produce like broccoli, celery, and lettuce. 🌱

NPC Powered by Foodbuy's grower partners relocate production and processing equipment as the seasons shift. The result? Fresher produce, less waste, and a smarter, more sustainable supply chain.

The transition happens twice a year to move growing and, impressively, processing to a better growing location for the season. That way, growers can continue to meet year-round demand for products.

🚛The transition varies every year due to weather, disease, pest, and other factors - some years growing regions overlap, sometimes they meet flush, and sometimes they gap. This year, we're in a gap as production slows in California.

Ready for a deeper dive? Swipe through to see how this transition works and why it matters.

10/20/2025

⚠️ MARKET ALERT: BERRIES⚠️
The berry market is in flux this week with varying levels of availability for strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Here's what you need to know:

🍓 Strawberries:
🚨 EXTREME ALERT🚨
Recent rain and cool temperatures in Watsonville, Salinas, and Santa Maria have disrupted harvests, leading to delayed ripening and elevated cull rates, exceeding 50% in some areas. With warmer weather approaching, quality concerns such as decay and misshapen fruit are expected to intensify. Supplies will remain unstable as some growers consider ending the season early.

In Mexico, production has begun but remains low due to earlier rain and cool weather. Quality challenges persist, with common issues including overripe, soft, and green fruit, though efforts are underway to improve packout.

🌸 Raspberries:
Watsonville’s season is winding down, with weekly volume down 10–20% from peak. Rain and cooler temps are causing softness and pest pressure, especially from spotted wing drosophila. Crews continue to focus on maintaining pack quality, though the season may conclude earlier than anticipated. In Mexico, conventional production is on the rise, with quality steadily improving at the cooler.

🫐 Blueberries:
Blues have been demand exceed supply as of late. Supplies have been very tight in MX but are starting to ramp up. This along with delayed shipments from Peru have created a short supply and heightened markets with possible prorates. Moving into November, early signs suggest volumes may exceed projections if favorable conditions persist. In Peru, imports are aligning with forecasts, with more containers arriving this week to support customer demand.

Stay informed when it comes to the fresh produce industry. NPC Powered by Foodbuy sends our Market Outlook reports every week in English and Spanish.

Read more ➡️ https://www.nproduce.com/services/market-reports/