Winter is winding down, but citrus season is still going strong in California. Late-season varieties are arriving with peak flavor, vibrant color, and consistent quality, giving buyers the perfect opportunity to feature them in displays, bundles, and menus before the season ends. Keep your citrus program well-stocked with a diverse mix of the best fruit.

Key Varieties to Feature:

• Tangerines: Murcott, Royal Mandarin, Golden Nugget, and Pixie tangerines are easy to peel and easy to eat. Don’t forget Minneolas for shoppers chasing the sweet-tart flavor.
• Oranges: Classic Navels, beautiful pink Cara Cara, and vibrant Bloods for the drama!
• Grapefruit: Ruby and Rio Red are the unsung heroes of citrus season. Always sweet. Always juicy.
• Specialty Citrus: Spice it up with adorable Nagami kumquats, Seville oranges for marmalade and a hardy Pomelo!

Citrus fatigue can set in quickly, with shoppers seeing the same fruit week after week. Keep customers engaged by rotating varieties, highlighting colorful or specialty fruit, offering tasting samples, or recipe inspiration.

Supply Disruption in Mexico

Violence, unrest, and uncertainty in various states of Mexico are impacting supply for many crops, including avocado, cucumbers, bell peppers, chiles, and tomatoes. These disruptions are making it difficult for workers to reach fields and for trucks to move product north to the border crossing in Nogales, Arizona (veggies) and McAllen, Texas (avocados) due to road blockages or closures.

Expect tighter supply, possible gaps, and higher prices in the short term as growers and shippers work through these challenges.

New & Exciting!

Bartlett Pear: Coming soon! The Argentinian season is starting up. Bartletts are extremely aromatic with that quintessential pear flavor. If you like crunchy and tart, enjoy this pear while the skin is light green. Prefer super sweet and very juicy? Wait until the skin ripens to a golden yellow hue, with russeted ‘sugar spots’. Can’t decide? A mottled yellow-green Bartlett will be juicy, mildly sweet and sometimes very sweet!  The Goldilocks zone!

Black Garlic: Black garlic is fresh white garlic that’s been slowly aged. This process gives the garlic its black color, flavors of balsamic and sweet molasses with a roasted garlic texture. Easy to mash, blend, or slice, adding depth to dressings, sauces, rubs, spreads, marinades, and more! Available in retail pouches and bulk bags. Ask your Account Manager about POS recipe cards!

Carrots from Rundle and Terra Firma: Bunched Nantes and Rainbow carrots from Rundle Family Farm are here. These California-grown carrots are so sweet and spectacular! We also have them bagged in Juice and Table-grades.

Bunched Rapini: Mix of mustard and radish rabes from Knoll Farm. Not to be confused with broccoli rabe or what is typically known as rapini or Italian rapini. This specialty crop is bunched leafy mixed rabes.

Cherimoya: Finally, a good quantity is available after months of slim pickings. This tropical favorite loved the good rains. Coming from the Santa Barbara area, enjoy now!

Dragon Fruit: Supply is strong from Ecuador, and gaining traction everywhere. Red skin, white flesh, yellow skin, red flesh, we’ve got ‘em, come and get ‘em! Who doesn’t love a dragon?

Golden Nugget Tangerine: This late-season variety brings rich, delicious, full-bodied flavor. Seedless and easy to peel.

Grape: Red and Green seedless grapes are eating exceptionally well right now. Royal Red grapes offer large, juicy berries with rich sweetness, while green Sweet Globe grapes deliver a crisp bite and refreshing flavor. Current arrivals from Peru are outstanding quality, making this an excellent time to promote and feature fresh grapes.

Medjool Date Gift Pack: Celebrate Ramadan with this lovely 5-pound Medjool date gift pack of mini sized dates. Mini dates are petite, smaller in size than our usual Large Medjools but just as beautiful, rich, and satisfying. Perfect for sharing, gifting, and breaking fast. Add to fruit salad, oatmeal or tossed salads with made with bitter greens, such as escarole or frisee. Be prepared for the feast as Ramadan ends on March 20, called Eid al-Fitr!

Promotable

Asparagus: Strong supply and great pricing through the end of the month. Tender stalks, bright green color, and fresh flavor make this a great time to feature asparagus.

Blueberry: Winter blues got you down? Get some blueberries for an antioxidant boost! Good supply and great flavor!

Brussels Sprouts: Steady supply and sharp price on Mexican-grown sprouts. Good promotion item for the next couple weeks!

Globe Eggplant: Volume available on Mexican-grown product. Globe eggplant’s meaty texture and mild, slightly sweet flavor make it a versatile favorite—perfect for roasting, braising, or soaking up bold sauces in winter dishes.

Green Cabbage: Readily available from several labels. Now’s the time to plan your promotions leading up to Saint Patrick’s Day (March 17^th).

Murcott Tangerine: Have you tried Wild River Murcotts? This late season variety stays on the tree longer, allowing sugars to fully develop. The flavor is intensely sweet, honey-like with balanced acidity. Juicy and delicious! Ask your Account Manager about convenient retail ready Murcott bags!

Royal Mandarin: In a sea of winter citrus, Royals reign supreme. They have dark orange color, zesty sweet flavor and are juicy with some lemony undertones. The thin pebbly skin is easy to peel; expect some seeds. Wonderful for both eating fresh or juicing!

Ruby Grapefruit: Juicy, sweet and tart. Grown by VV exclusive grower, B&J Ranch. This one is a staff favorite and will quickly become yours as well!

Limited

Arugula from Earthbound: Seeing aphid pressure and ongoing mildew pressure. Expect continued shorts and some compromised quality moving into March. Current hot weather after the rain will continue to exacerbate issues.

P.S. Check out the pricey but gorgeous Knoll Farms hand-picked ‘teen-age’ arugula while this gap on the ‘baby style’ continues.

Baby Kale: Gapping

Celery: Supply is very tight, we may see some gaps. Desert production is winding down, and northern growing regions are not ready yet.

Cucumber: Bulk Persian is gapping; English Hothouse is limited.

Herbs: Basil, Thai Basil, Dill, Tarragon are all limited.

Kishu Tangerine: Gapping

Lime: Prices are unstable.

Lime Leaf: Gapping

Passionfruit: Super yummy due to rains, but not much out there.

Straightneck Squash:  Extremely limited.

Treviso Radicchio: Gapping

Zucchini: Prices remain high; extremely limited.

Done for the Season

Dancy Tangerine

Ettinger and Rincon green-skin avocados