Fords Produce Company | Fresh Produce Distributor | Raleigh NC
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Monthly Archives: December 2025

Onion, Cipollini, Unpeeled

Produce Supply Update March 27th, 2026 Good Morning! Global Market Note – The issues going on in the Straight of Hormuz have caused worldwide shortages of petroleum. So… of course freight rates are through the roof, but also effected are harvesting costs, fertilizers and packaging supplies including all plastics. Shippers and farmers are in a real pinch right now and passing along what costs they’re able to and causing many items to climb in price. Apples – As we approach spring, the crop continues to get smaller. The latest storage report is showing that storage inventories are lower than the same time last year. As a result, we are seeing a rising market on many varieties, sizes, and packs, and this trend is expected to continue for the next couple of months. The most significant item that is down this year is the Gala apples. Cabbage – Is starting locally, and right behind that should be broccoli. It’s been a long, cold winter, but spring is finally here! Corn – I’ve never seen a corn market like this one. Limited supplies are fueling sky-high pricing. Sizing is smaller than normal as anything that is corn is being harvested and put in the box. They expect to have better volume by the middle of April. Onions – Mexico is starting their new season, and the overlap of storage and new crop onions is making for a very smooth transition. Pricing is staying level and quality has been great. Peppers – Conditions remain extremely short, and we do not anticipate any improvement in the short term. Based on current field performance and weather impacts, expect these challenging conditions to persist through mid-April. Georgia typically begins its season around May 20–25th, which means that normalcy is unlikely until late May, when new acreage comes online and supply begins to stabilize. Strawberries – Florida still has great volume, California has started their new season and our local farmer has had some beautiful weather so strawberries are plentiful and gorgeous. Going into Easter, strawberries are always a popular item. Tomatoes – Became extremely short all of the sudden last week. The hard freeze in Florida a couple of weeks ago has set back the crop by a lot. Prices are high and continue to rise. Did you hear about the new restaurant named KARMA? There’s no menu, you just get what you deserve.

Produce Supply Update March 27th, 2026 Good Morning! Global Market Note – The issues going on in the Straight of Hormuz have caused worldwide shortages of petroleum. So… of course freight rates are through the roof, but also effected are [...]

March 27, 2026 featured, Produce Supply Update
Cabbage, Green

Produce Supply Update March 13th, 2026 Good Morning! Cabbage – Plentiful supplies right now for your St. Patrick’s Day promotions. Quality and pricing are great to put alongside your corned beef specials! Celery – After months of record pricing, the dam has finally burst and celery is flowing again. We’re seeing normalized markets and pricing is coming back to ground level. Corn – I’ve never seen a corn market like this one. Limited supplies are fueling sky-high pricing. Work them close, because once the weather stays warm, they’ll get a lot cheaper quickly. Onions – Mexico is starting their new season, and the overlap of storage and new crop onions is making for a very smooth transition. Pricing is staying level and Strawberries – Florida’s strawberry machine cranked back up last week after the weather warmed up for them. Plentiful supplies and great pricing. Our local growers are getting their seasons started and bringing sporatic amounts to market. We’re looking forward to a great spring. Tomatoes – We’re seeing a rapid turnaround on tomato markets. The sharp rise last week is falling off quickly as supply catches up with demand at the higher pricing. Prices are down substantially this week. Romas are way down. Florida / Mexican products: During our winter, we rely heavily on Mexican imports for a lot of vegetables. Their production usually offsets the shortages from Florida this time of year with cold weather limiting Florida’s harvests. The cold temps in Florida last week shut down their harvesting and threw a lot of demand on Mexican farmers all of the sudden. However, Mexico has had their own weather conditions and limited harvesting. As a result, most things that come from those areas are Extremely limited this week and it may be April before we see long term improvements. The most effected items are peppers, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes. Bear with us for a little while and we should see some improvements as the weather continues to warm. Q: A Vietnamese restaurant and an Indian restaurant opened across the street from each other. One was Pho profit, the other was Naan profit. Thank you for your business! Have a Great Week! Copyright Ford’s Produce 2026

Produce Supply Update March 13th, 2026 Good Morning! Cabbage – Plentiful supplies right now for your St. Patrick’s Day promotions. Quality and pricing are great to put alongside your corned beef specials! Celery – After months of record pricing, the [...]

March 13, 2026 featured, Produce Supply Update
Celery Stalks and Cut Celery Sticks - Celery Was super-tight and spendy through the spring and early summer,

Produce Supply Update March 9th, 2026 Good Morning! Broccoli – Is settling back down after a couple of rough weeks. Supplies are still low, but demand fell off at the higher pricing and that drove markets down. Cabbage – Is in great supply from Florida fields. We’ll see increased demand going into St. Patrick’s Day which may cause pricing to ease upward. We have savoy cabbage on hand if you’d like to change things up a bit. Celery – I’ve never seen a market like this that stayed this high for this long. The farmers out west planted a lot less acreage, creating a shortage that has lasted since October. Prices are still strong and will remain that way until more fields are changed over to celery. Corn – Last week’s freezing temperatures in the Southeast really set back the crop. Supplies are very limited and pricing is VERY high. Lettuce – California pricing came way off this week as demand slowed at last week’s higher pricing levels. Onions – Mexico is trying to start their new crop. There are still plenty of storage onions on hand, so the transition should be a smooth one except for the actions of the cartels down there. Strawberries – Florida’s thermometer turned cold and the strawberry machines turned off. Fortunately, our local grower is pumping them out with the pretty days we’ve been having and he’s expecting a great season. Tomatoes – The nationwide cold that we had last week has changed the plentiful tomato market seemingly overnight. Prices are much higher with the shorter supplies. Roma tomatoes which primarily grow in Mexico are particularly tight. Florida / Mexican products: During our winter, we rely heavily on Mexican imports for a lot of vegetables. Their production usually offsets the shortages from Florida this time of year with cold weather limiting Florida’s harvests. The cold temps in Florida last week shut down their harvesting and threw a lot of demand on Mexican farmers all of the sudden. However, Mexico has had the cartel issues for the past couple of weeks, coupled with their own weather conditions and limited harvesting. As a result, most things that come from those areas are Extremely limited this week and it may be April before we see long term improvements. The most effected items are peppers, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes. Bear with us for a little while and we should see some improvements as the weather continues to warm. I went to Starbucks and the barista was wearing a face mask. I asked “Why are you wearing a surgical mask?” She said “I’m not. It’s a coughy filter.”

Produce Supply Update March 9th, 2026 Good Morning! Broccoli – Is settling back down after a couple of rough weeks. Supplies are still low,  but demand fell off at the higher pricing and that drove markets down. Cabbage – Is [...]

March 6, 2026 Produce Supply Update
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