NPC Powered by Foodbuy

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/

10/16/2025

📅2026 is right around the corner! That means that many of our valued Members are making plans for their year ahead.

The NPC Powered by Foodbuy team was grateful for the opportunity to connect over lunch and a productive business review with one of our valued partners, la Madeleine, this week.

The group reviewed various topics, including but not limited to:

🍎Produce category outlook, key data metrics and initiatives
🍎Purchasing optimization
🍎Partnership goals

We also discussed projects in the pipeline and their brand's promising growth trajectory in the upcoming year. Thank you to the la Madeleine team for hosting us!

10/13/2025

What does the fresh produce market look like this week? NPC Powered by Foodbuy has it all listed in our October 10th Market Report.

This week, take note of updates on citrus commodities:

🍋California's lemon supply is tight, especially for smaller sizes like 115s and 138s. This is due to the seasonal wind-down of District 2 lemons and the slow ramp-up of District 3, which only began harvesting in early October. The offshore availability of small lemons is also constrained, contributing to elevated market pricing.

🍊For oranges, the Valencia season is nearing its end, and smaller sizes (88s, 113s, 138s) are particularly limited due to strong school demand and crop transitions. This has created a supply gap until the Navel season fully begins, which is expected to start in late October or early November. The transition period between Valencia and Navel oranges often leads to short-term supply disruptions. Growers are reporting curtailed harvesting and limited availability, especially for smaller fruit sizes, which are in high demand. Market conditions are expected to remain tight for the next few weeks until District 3 lemons and California Navels are fully online.

To learn more visit nproduce.com 💻

10/06/2025

🚨 Market Alert 🚨

The Salinas Valley growing region is currently facing challenges which may affect supplies. Unseasonable high temperatures, elevated humidity, intermittent rainfall, and cooler intervals have created erratic conditions that are stressing crops across the board. Compounding these issues are persistent soil disease pressures particularly INSV and wind damage, which are further exacerbated by previous insect activity such as diamondback moths.

While pack-out quality remains visually strong, there is a marked decline in shelf life and product resilience. These impacts are widespread across the valley and not limited to individual growers, with volatility in both supply and quality expected to continue. Growers are already signaling potential shortages with Broccoli and Cauliflower commodities.

⚠️Commodities of highest concern include:

Broccoli Crowns
Broccoli Florets
Cauliflower
Cauliflower Florets
Iceberg Lettuce
Romaine Lettuce

We will continue to monitor the situation closely and provide more detailed updates as they become available. Follow along on nproduce.com 💻

10/02/2025

At NPC Powered by Foodbuy, we believe the heart of produce procurement lies in the field, where quality and relationships begin. 🌱

By strategically partnering directly with growers across regions and produce categories, we connect to their processes through site visits and regular conversations. This hands-on approach allows us to build valuable programs that benefit all involved:

Our Growers
Our Distributors
Our Members

We’re passionate about supporting our Members with access to these best-in-class programs designed with their unique needs in mind.

If you’d like to learn more about how we can support your goals or have questions about our programs, please feel free to reach out.

💻 You can discover more at nproduce.com.

09/25/2025

Last week's Southern Innovations Conference was a success for the NPC Powered by Foodbuy team for many reasons! 🏆

Not least was Ricardo Carrillo, Associate Director of Category Development, graduating from the SEPC Step-Upp Foodservice program! 🎉

This program gives foodservice produce professionals a greater understanding of the industry through an emphasis on strategic orientation, personal leadership, and hands-on field experience. Individuals are selected through an application and interview process based on leadership experience and interest in developing a career in fresh produce. During his time in the program, Ricardo attended personal development and relationship building sessions with focuses like managing for performance, leadership styles, and negotiation strategies.

Congratulations to Ricardo and thank you to the SEPC for another fantastic Southern Innovations Conference.

09/15/2025

🚨 Market Alert 🚨
Broccoli supplies are expected to remain limited over the next few weeks. Here's what you need to know:

☀️Current climate:
Most volume is shipping from Salinas and Santa Maria, with only fair quality. Limited product available from Mexico.

A key issue is the Diamondback Moth, especially in Santa Maria and areas south of Salinas. While the adult moth causes no harm, its larvae damage crops by burrowing into plant crowns. These larvae are difficult to detect and remove, even after processing, leading to quality concerns and reduced yields.

➡️Looking Ahead

No effective insecticides are currently approved, and cold weather is the only natural deterrent. Until such conditions prevail, supplies will continue to be limited.

NPC Powered by Foodbuy Members receive detailed market reports in their inboxes every week to support better purchasing. Ask us how you can reap the benefits of NPC managed purchasing programs! 📥

💻 Read the full market report for September 15th in English or Spanish here:
Https://www.nproduce.com/services/market-reports/

09/08/2025

🚨 Market Alert 🚨
The pineapple market remains exceptionally tight this week. Here's what you need to know:

☀️Current climate:
Limited availability across all sizes, particularly crownless fruit. Demand continues to outpace supply, sustaining prices near record highs.

🍍Quality has shown modest improvement, with average Brix levels reaching 14.0 and fewer fruit testing below 13. However, pale internal and external coloration persists, especially in crownless varieties. Weather conditions remain dry, with less than 20 mm of rainfall, and port disruptions at Caldera have added logistical strain. Fortunately, contingency measures have helped avoid major shortages.

➡️Looking Ahead
Tight import conditions are expected to persist through mid-October (Week 42), with gradual relief potentially beginning earlier. Increased volumes of larger-sized fruit are projected to emerge by the second week of September, peaking in late November before a seasonal dip in December and January when demand typically softens. As larger fruit becomes more available, volumes of 7ct and 8ct sizes are expected to decline, making substitutions more challenging.

NPC Powered by Foodbuy Members receive detailed market reports in their inboxes every week to support better purchasing. Ask us how you can reap the benefits of NPC managed purchasing programs!

Read the full market report for September 5th in English or Spanish here:
https://www.nproduce.com/services/market-reports/