“Right now, our pineapple supplies coming in from Mexico are tighter than usual. The fruit size is also smaller than normal, probably because of the time of year and all the heat in Mexico,” said Darwin Dodd of Sunrise Produce. “It’s been pretty hot down there, which forces the pineapple to mature too early. Also, we’re coming to the end of the harvesting season for this year’s crop.” Sunrise Produce imports its pineapple from farms in Colimas and Veracruz, Mexico. “Our competitors come mostly from Veracruz and offshore countries, such as Costa Rica,” shared Dodd. This competition makes it even more difficult for Sunrise Produce to get the quantities of pineapple it needs to satisfy customer demand.
As one farm’s harvest season winds down, Dodd sees a short lag time before another farm is able to begin sending its pineapples to the U.S. As this happens, he has to watch the supply on hand until supplies begin arriving from their second source. In addition, weather and too much heat can affect the supplies coming in. If the farms get too little or too much rain, this affects the supplies as well.
Prices are down
“Our prices came down from last week and I’m not sure what caused that,” said Dodd. “It’s odd, because the supply level also dropped. Normally, when that happens, prices go up.” He anticipates that, for the next two to three weeks, supplies of imported pineapple will remain slow and tight. Shortly after that, he anticipates that his suppliers will begin sending larger quantities. “Our demand comes from all over the U.S.; Texas, the Northeast, out west and in Chicago,” said Dodd.
“We expect consumption to pick up within the next three to four weeks. As schools begin, we see orders coming in from their food services, so our business picks up,” Dodd said.
