The demand for tomatoes right now is outweighing the supply of them. "The tomato supply has been very short," says Roger Riehm of Blue Creek Produce. "Florida is in a gap on supply, and Mexico is in the same situation–there's not a lot of supply there either."
Earlier weather occurrences in both regions are behind the tight supply. "There was some blossom drop thanks to cooler weather earlier on in Florida. The same thing happened in Mexico–the timing was just very similar regarding previous weather patterns," he says.
That tightness is being felt on a number of tomato varieties–from grape tomatoes to cherry to romas and more. "The only tomato that isn't having as much demand are the tomato-on-the-vines (TOVs) and beefsteak tomatoes," says Riehm. "The greenhouse tomatoes haven't taken off quite yet pricing-wise like the other tomatoes and there may be a bigger supply and less demand for those tomatoes."
© Blue Creek Produce
Demand outweighing supply
Meanwhile demand is strong for tomatoes, though Riehm adds that demand hasn't necessarily increased. Rather, it's looking strong, given the lack of product, leaving the demand-supply imbalance in the market.
All of this is leaving pricing strong for tomatoes. "It has caught a lot of people off guard, and we're going to see it increase more this week," he says, noting that grower-shippers are also awaiting word on potential tariffs on product coming into the U.S. from both Mexico and Canada–two key tomato-growing countries. Those tariffs are on pause until April 2.
For more information:
Roger Riehm
Blue Creek Produce
Tel: +1 (630) 677-7068
roger@bluecreekproduce.com