Anderson Exports is a Bulk Ingredients Sourcing Agency in Northern California. We specialize in sourcing the best ingredients from California, Brazil and the rest of the world. Our newsletter delivers actionable market intelligence to inform our clients' purchasing decisions.
Raisins
Bulk Natural Thompson Seedless raisins and other California raisins are now being packed and shipped from the new crop. We have seen stable prices in recent weeks thanks to a robust California Thompson Seedless Select (NTS) raisin crop with exceptional quality. Compared to this time last year, there were no major rain events during the most important parts of the raisin harvest in California this year. We have seen strong demand from Japan and the APEC countries as we enter the Lunar New Year purchasing period. Although there remains strong demand in much of the APEC region, Chinese buyers are notably hesitant to jump into the market at current prices due, in large part, to anxiety created by the ongoing US / China Trade War.
As for quality, early reports from the fields indicate a robust and delicious 2018 raisin crop; in stark contrast to the innumerable quality issues faced by buyers and suppliers during the 2017 / 2018 harvest season. Many suppliers who make Jumbo and Select size Golden raisins are reporting a shortage of Jumbo Sizes with many unable to offer Jumbo Golden raisins at this time. California’s crop of Jumbo and Select (Medium) Flames looks to be of excellent quality with an average number of Jumbo and Select (Medium) Flame raisin sizes. Prices for California Flame raisins in 2018 are higher than last year thanks to the steadily growing global demand for this delicious raisin. The Raisin Bargaining Administration (RBA) and it’s eleven signatory packers have agreed to a one year price per ton. This will not have much effect on pricing at this stage in the harvest since most packers have already been shipping raisins from the 2018 crop.
We supply all major bulk California raisins including dried-on-the-vine (DOV) and tray-dried Natural Thompson Seedless Selects, Selma Petes, Flames, Goldens, and other varieties in Jumbo, Select, and Midget sizes and welcome your inquiries. We also supply Selma Pete DOV Double-Run Supreme raisins to Japan and elsewhere which are processed twice to achieve exceptionally low stem and capstem counts.
Walnuts
The biggest news in California walnuts this week is the continuous flow of reports from suppliers indicating a shorter than expected Chandler crop in 2018. Suppliers around the state of California are reporting that the Chandler walnut crop is down, especially in the north, where some estimate the crop to be down 10 - 15% compared to last year.
In addition to this shorter crop, many suppliers are observing that Chandler walnuts in general are seeing lower average meat-yields compared to both last year and the 10-year average.
These new revelations will no doubt affect the prices moving forward for in-shell Chandler walnuts. The impact of the shorter Chandler crop, coupled with the lower-than-average meat-yields will remain to be seen as the season progresses. Lower average meat-yields may motivate suppliers to crack out more of their Chandlers, as they can control the final product with high-tech sorting far more than for raw in-shell. The news is not all bad for Chandler walnuts though, the product that has been received from the fields, despite the lower meat-yields, is a gorgeous light milky off-white color.
Many suppliers are reporting good light color and average meat-yields for in-shell Howard walnuts for the 2018 crop. Howards are harvested earlier than Chandler and on average have a higher meat-yield. This makes it a good alternative to Chandler for those buyers who require higher average meat-yields at a more competitive price.
We work with California’s top walnut packers to supply our customers with Jumbo and Jumbo / Large (J/L) in-shell Chandler, Howard, Hartley, Vina, Tulare, Serr and other varieties. We also provide bleached in-shell walnuts in addition to California shelled product including Chandler and non-Chandler Light Halves & Pieces (LHP) 20%, 40%, 80% and higher based on customer requirements.
Cranberries
News from the bogs continues to affirm the possibility of a smaller than expected new cranberry crop. Wisconsin cranberry production is expected to be down and there are some concerns about rot in Massachusetts. Though it is still early to tell, the decrease compared to last year may be in the 12 - 18% range.
Since the cranberry market is already tight on fruit, lower new production may compound the already widespread shortages in the market for Sweetened Dried Cranberries (SDCs). There is also the wildcard of the 25% Producer Allotment (supply reduction) still in play since the USDA has yet to approve the proposal. Current lead times on Whole and Sliced SDCs remain long and prompt shipment loads are few and far between. Given these conditions, we anticipate firm prices with modest increases throughout the year for SDCs.
We supply Conventional and Organic Whole or Sweetened Dried Cranberries (SDCs) packed in bulk cases as well as 50 Brix and 65 Brix cranberry concentrate shipped in bulk 55 gallon drums.
Pistachios
The new California pistachio crop looks excellent though we are seeing size ranges widen as suppliers work to accommodate to the smaller than average nut size coming out of the fields. We are seeing offers on US Ex. #1 21-25 as a 21-26 or even 21-27. The demand for California pistachios dwarfs the supply so we expect tight availability and firm pricing in the year ahead. California is also in an advantaged export position this year relative to Iran due to Trump’s regime of sanctions on the country and the campaign to make it harder to do business with Iran’s counter-parties. Overall, California’s pistachios will be highly sought after so buyers would be prudent to engage early to secure their forward needs.
We are now supplying new crop in-shell and shelled pistachios of all major types and sizes.
Dried Apples
China’s apple crop is experiencing major disruption due to crop failure and regulators shutting down apple production facilities due to environmental concerns. We have heard estimates of a crop reduction in the 30 - 35% range and prices are reacting accordingly. Disruptive ripples are flowing downstream to importers who are understandably concerned about how securely their forward apple needs are covered. Some Chinese suppliers are unable to fulfill contracts and others are opting to re-negotiate. Suppliers who will offer may be hesitate to lock a price for 12 months given the volatility.
We are engaging new clients of dehydrated apple dices in the wake of these supply disruptions and are eager to supply dehydrated apple dices with or without sulphur dioxide (SO2) from our BRC supplier in China as well as our suppliers in South America this year. Supply of dehydrated apple dices from South America will not be available until April / May 2019 when the new crop is processed and ready for export. We supply with Granny Smith, Red Delicious and other varieties in dices / cubes of 5 x 5 x 5MM, 10 x 10 x 10MM and other sizes upon request.
Pecans
We supply Fancy Junior Mammoth Halves (FJMH), Fancy Mammoth Halves, Fancy Pieces, and other sizes / types for all major U.S. pecan varieties.
Other Products
HONEY (HN 80) - Wildflower Multifloral Bee’s Honey & Honey Powder
100% pure liquid honey (HN 80) Is obtained from the Western Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) in the region of Campeche, Mexico. This region is recognized worldwide because of the high quality honey that is produced there with flavor that comes from the region’s endemic wildflowers.
COCONUT SUGAR - Organic and Conventional Natural Sweeteners
We have both organic and conventional coconut sugar. Our suppliers of organic coconut sugar are renowned for a product with 99% purity (checked by carbon isotope analyzer). Our suppliers are fully certified, halal, kosher, fssc and USDA organic. We can also supply other coconut products, like coconut water, coconut water powder, coconut milk, coconut milk powder & more.
We work with a number of other products so please reach out if you have an inquiry for something you do not see here. We are experts in sourcing bulk food ingredients and welcome the opportunity to work with you on your inquiries. Some of our other product offerings include sunflower seeds, lentils, green peas, freeze dried fruits, popcorn, dried cherries, dried apples, dried blueberries, cherry concentrate, quinoa, dried honey dates, dried cherry tomatoes, dried gojis, dried kiwis, dried strawberries, chickpeas, chia seeds, dried mulberries, almonds, macadamias, pistachios, walnuts, cashews, pine nuts, pecans, brazil nuts, pumpkin seed kernels, melon kernels, hazelnuts, dried prunes, golden raisins, sultanas, dried apricots, sweet apricot kernels, dried black currants, dried figs, dried dates, popcorns, maraschino cherries, dried tomatoes, strawberry pie filling, blueberry pie filling, cherry pie filling, dried mangoes, dried gingers, dried pineapple, and desiccated coconut.
Work With Us As a Supplier
We are always looking to grow our supplier base with companies capable of delivering high quality food ingredients at large volumes. If you are interested, please reach out and introduce yourself.
We welcome your inquiries and look forward to working together to deliver you the highest quality ingredients from the world's best suppliers. We are available to our suppliers and buyers 24/7 over email, phone, or WhatsApp.