Freshspective

Continued exceptional quality out of the Central Valley on cantaloupes this season with high brix in the 14-15% range and good yields. Sizing remains a good distribution with jumbo 9 count, 9 and 12 counts all available. The favorable growing conditions all summer make this the perfect back-to-school snack. 

Oranges

• California Valencias: Back-to-school demand remains strong, particularly on smaller fruit (88/113/138 counts), with availability tightening further. Larger sizes (56s/72s) are slightly more available but remain limited overall. Internal quality is solid, with brix levels holding between 12–14. Re-greening continues to be present due to high temperatures but does not impact eating quality.
• Import Navels: Supplies from Chile and South Africa are steady for now but may tighten soon. South African fruit continues to trend small to medium, while Chilean arrivals are skewing medium to large. Sugar content remains consistent at 11–13 brix. The recent tariff increases on South African fruit are starting to impact pricing and import pace; watch for reduced volumes in 3–4 weeks.
• Import Caras: Volume remains available from Chile and South Africa, with Chilean fruit favoring larger sizing and strong internal quality. As with navels, South African Caras are smaller and could be impacted by shifting global demand due to market conditions and logistics. Chilean supplies are expected to remain steady through mid-September.

Lemons

• California: District 2 continues to harvest, but supplies remain tight overall. Fancy grade and larger sizes (95s and larger) are especially short in supply. Choice and smaller fruit (140 count and smaller) are more available but are experiencing active demand. Expect firm pricing through late August.
• Offshore Imports: Argentina is still shipping fruit, though arrivals are slowing, and the season may conclude earlier than normal (early September). Quality remains good with larger sizing (95/115 counts). Chilean lemons are more available now but skew small (165/200 counts). Many Chilean growers continue diverting fruit to other global markets offering higher returns. Overall, expect tight markets through early fall.
• Mexico: The crop is producing primarily choice-grade fruit, with fancy-grade volume very light. Sizing from 75–165 count is especially limited. Imports are helping to supplement demand, but shortages on mid- and larger-sized fruit persist.

Grapefruit

• California: The Star Ruby season is wrapping up, with most growers completing harvests by mid-August. The transition to Marsh Ruby is underway, with lighter volume and less vibrant internal color. Markets are expected to remain snug during the gap.
• Imports: Grapefruit from South Africa and Peru is arriving in moderate volume. Larger sizes (32–40 counts) are more prevalent, with limited availability on smaller fruit (45–55 counts). Early reports indicate clean fruit with solid internal quality. Steady imports are expected through early October.

Mandarins

• Imports: Strong import volume continues from Peru, Chile, South Africa, and Uruguay, with good availability across multiple varieties focused on Tangos, and Murcotts. Quality is excellent, with good sugar and vibrant appearance. Expect continued strong supply into October, though some slight tapering may occur as Peru winds down.
  

Despite strong retail promotions, grape inventories remain high as demand hasn’t picked up enough to clear out older stock. The higher-than-normal price per pound has not helped this situation much across the industry. The California grape crop is of excellent quality, and growing conditions have been ideal, leading to a harvest that’s about three weeks ahead of schedule, which could result in an earlier-than-usual end to the season.

Like cantaloupes, the honeydews out of the Central Valley are bringing exceptional quality and yields. Sizing is trending toward jumbo 5 count and regular 5 count, but there remains adequate supply on 6 and some 8 counts. 

Region: Veracruz, Mexico

Weather Update:

The weather forecast for the next week indicates light rains for a couple of days. Expect high humidity, with temperatures ranging between 71°F and 90°F.

Market Intel:

The demand for limes has been steady.

Sizing Profile:

Peak sizes are 200/175/230.

Size distribution: 110-3%, 150-17%, 175-25%, 200-26%, 230-18%, and 250-11%.

Quality:  

August, with its reduced fruit harvest, is a good challenge for all producers with all of them trying to harvest as much as possible and looking for the areas of greatest volume to be able to cover all the programs. This reduction in volume is expected to continue for a couple of weeks. We will see September arrive with better volume. The light rains and the improvement in temperatures are allowing us to find fruit of good quality and consistency.

Looking Ahead:

The projection for a smaller harvest during all of August remains, but the consistent rainfall will benefit us, enabling harvest of high-quality fruit that is well-colored. Focus on medium sizes.
 
The forecast for September is positive, and we expect a larger harvest than in August. The new crops will offer good quality and medium sizes, allowing us to easily meet all our targets. Our strong network of growers has helped us secure an adequate volume, and we anticipate the same results for the coming month.

SUPPLY JUST MEETING DEMAND FOR PAPAYA IN THE U.S.A. MARKET.
Supply conditions are tighter with less supply to service demand. Growers expect even less supply in the upcoming weeks due to a combination of unfavorable weather, strong internal market, and much lower yields which keep the overall availability of fruit being exported lower to the USA out of MEXICO. Tight supply will remain for at least the next two weeks for papaya production. Contracts are being serviced with very little extra fruit available to offer. Prices are higher in the U.S. market and should increase as we go into September.
Inventories are showing LITTLE availability to offer. 
Majority of sizes are between 6–12s with LESS surplus fruit.
Quality is reported as good with some shorter shelf life and some stem issues due to extra humidity at the fields.
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 has conditions for less supply for the next two weeks.
Market Intel:  Just enough supply to service demand.

We are currently shipping new crop California Bartletts out of the Lodi region this week. The California crop is an above-average crop this year, so we will have lots of fruit to sell. The crop has a good mix of all sizes but appears to be peaking at 100-count size fruit. California is also shipping new-crop red Bartletts as well as light volumes of Bosc pears. Anjou pears are still available in light quantities out of Washington but are cleaning up fast. New Washington Bartletts are projected to start up this week and their crop looks to be a very big crop as well. Plan for Bartlett pears to be in good supply and very promotable for the next several months. New crop Washington Bosc and Anjou are projected to start harvesting sometime in September. 

Santa Maria is finishing their spring crop, and the fall crop is just getting underway.  We should see good volume in this area by September. The Salinas/Watsonville growing areas in California are currently in production, but the fruit is past its peak production period. The Salinas/Watsonville growing area has had some humid weather and warm nights which will cause the fruit to have smaller sizing, occasional bruising, and tend to be overripe, and soft. 

Weather outlook:

• Santa Maria, California - The week of August 18 is forecast on Wednesday to be partly cloudy, with a breezy afternoon, and the balance of the week to be mostly sunny.    Highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s.  The week of August 25 is forecast Monday through Wednesday to be mostly sunny, Thursday to have variable cloudiness with a possible shower, then mostly sunny for the balance of the week.  Highs in the low 70s, and lows in the 50s. 
• Salinas/Watsonville, California - The week of August 18 is forecast to be mostly sunny.  Highs in the 70s, and lows in the 50s.   The week of August 25 is forecast to be partly sunny, becoming mostly sunny for the weekend.  Highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s.
  
   

We have good supplies on watermelons.  We are shipping out of North Carolina, Delaware, Missouri, and Indiana with good quality and plenty of supplies.  Out West, we are shipping out of California and Washington with good supplies.  Keep promoting watermelons in August and September!  We have good supplies for seedless watermelons.  Out east we are shipping out of NC, IN and DE.  We have good supplies of all sizes. Out west we are shipping out of CA and WA.  August will be a great time to promote watermelons.