There’s no shortage of supply of bell peppers in the market currently. “Right now, players are getting up and running in the Coachella desert and we also have Mexico finishing up its deal,” says Prescott Leyba, vice president–pepper sales with Live Oak Farms. “Mexico should finish in the next seven to 10 days so we’re in the period where the market is a bit flush.”
Last year at this time, Mexico had finished up its supplies earlier so the market was slightly tighter than it is currently. However, 2023 seems to be the year of late starts for commodities across North America. “Everybody is late. We started our Coachella season three weeks late and our next region in Bakersfield, California is three weeks late as well,” says Leyba, noting that a large part of the late starts is due to the unseasonable rains from January through March.
Strengthening demand
To meet that healthy supply though is strong demand--particularly as the outdoor temperatures warm up and consumption of bell peppers increases. “Pricing on peppers is right in line with what you’d expect with everyone going in the Coachella desert and Mexico. If it was just Coachella, it’d be higher than what it is right now but it’s not a record low by any means,” says Leyba.
Looking ahead, supplies will tighten up moving into early to mid-June with Mexico’s departure from the market, the ending of the Coachella season and then the transition to Bakersfield beginning.
