Market Minute: California stone fruit shipping for promotional opportunities

With May’s arrival, California stone fruit is officially in season and available for retail promotion. Early harvest apricots are coming in first, boasting exceptional quality, though a smaller crop may lead to an earlier finish. Cherries are also being shipped out but are priced higher due to a shortened season caused by late rainfall, which cut supplies by up to half. Expect cherry shipments to taper off quickly by late May, resulting in a gap until Washington cherries enter the market.

California peaches and nectarines are also currently available, offering the high-quality customers expect. Early in the season, fruit sizes tend to be smaller but will increase as the harvest progresses.

South Carolina peaches are expected to arrive in about two weeks, and forecasts indicate both quality and supply will be strong for promotional efforts.

Plumcots are another premium stone fruit option available during this early phase of the season.

Beyond stone fruit, a variety of other fresh produce is also ideal for advertising campaigns.

California strawberries have rebounded from cool temperatures and rain, resulting in improved volume. Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries are also promotional-ready.

Red grapes remain steady with reliable quality. The avocado market is consistent. Cantaloupes and honeydews, sourced from Arizona, California, Mexico and South America, are showing good quality as well. Florida seedless watermelons are now in season. California is shipping some nice larger size mandarins. Navels, Cara Cara oranges, blood oranges and tangelos from California continue to be great promotional items.

Reach out to your suppliers about these produce options and develop attractive promotional ad programs to drive sales volume.

What do you think? Email me at ronprocon@gmail.com.

This article originally ran on The Produce News.