November 26, 2017
Anderson Exports is a Dried Fruit & Nut Agency in Northern California. We specialize in sourcing the best ingredients from California and the rest of the world.
Raisin Update
Current lead-times to production can be up to 4-5 weeks as processors continued to work through the new crop. Due to high seasonal traffic, there have been high levels of congestion and equipment delays at the port of Oakland. The harvest is proceeding relatively slowly compared to prior years due to the pace of new crop receipts. Additional conditioning has also been required to avoid sand and mold issues due to the unexpected rains while much of the new crop was drying on the ground. Given the rains this year and related quality concerns, we strongly urge our clients to purchase driedon- the-vine (DOV) material rather than tray-dried. As buyers continue to compete over the smallest raisin crop in over a decade, U.S. raisin prices are expected to remain high.
Cranberry Update
With the cranberry harvest nearly complete, the expectation of a significant down year for both the U.S. and Canada is now clear. The U.S. crop is anticipated to be down as much as 15-20% from last year while the Canadian crop is estimated to be 30-40% lower. Together, this will reduce the amount of fruit by approx. 2.5 million barrels from last year. If enacted, the USDA / Cranberry Marketing Committee limits on 2017/2018 production would also remove a further 750,000 – 850,000 barrels or approx. 10-15% of the U.S. crop.
Given the expectation of shortages this year, some suppliers are requesting buyers to share their volume needs on a quarterly basis and to confirm business at least 8 weeks in advance. Prices for SDCs rose in recent weeks and are expected to climb further in the near-term given the short crop. The pending volume regulation also adds additional upside pressure to pricing in the coming years. We encourage our clients to share volume needs for SDCs, and particularly for organic material, with us early so that we may secure tonnage at an attractive price level.