Los Angeles-area produce distributors and some who serve the Southern California area said they've enjoyed a robust year so far, and they expect strong sales to continue as summer gets underway.
A.V. Thomas Produce
A.V. Thomas Produce, a sweetpotato grower based in Livingston, Calif., has seen strong year-over-year growth across its fresh sweetpotato programs, with continued demand from retail and foodservice partners throughout North America, said Jeremy Fookes, director of sales.
The company's specialty sweetpotato varieties — Stokes Purple and Ben Yagi Purple — will come out about a month earlier than usual this year, with Aug. 1 for Stokes Purple and Sept. 1 or earlier for Ben Yagi Purple. The firm also has increased production to keep up with consumer demand.
Summer is a steady period for sweetpotato sales, especially with grilling season and health-conscious eating trends, Fookes said. A.V. Thomas Produce projects excellent quality and good size profiles across the board.
“We are developing a new marketing campaign that will spotlight the versatility of sweetpotatoes while also driving awareness and resources toward supporting popular causes,” Fookes added.
The firm also is exploring updated packaging designs that “emphasize sustainability and shelf appeal to meet evolving retailer and shopper expectations,” he said.
Melissa's World Variety Produce
Los Angeles is one of the strongest markets for Melissa's World Variety Produce, said Robert Schueller, director of public relations. “Summer will see great numbers,” he said, as peak season approaches for California-grown melons, tree fruits, berries, figs, table grapes and mangoes.
California did not endure the long-standing heat this year that was the norm for the past few seasons, he said, so ideal summer conditions are happening now in the major growing areas.
Melissa's is launching a line of 13 Organic Snax that include dried fruit, trail mixes and chocolate nuts, and they recently released five gourmet dessert sauces — chocolate, caramel, pistachio, strawberry, and wild cherry — co-branded with Fabbri of Italy.
Frieda's Branded Produce
The Los Angeles area also continues to be one of the strongest markets for Anaheim, Calif.-based Frieda's Branded Produce as well, said Alex Jackson, vice president of sales and marketing.
“We're continuing to grow and evolve in exciting ways following our acquisition by Legacy Farms and our move to Anaheim (in 2023),” she said. “The biggest advantage has been our continued expansion of facilities in Anaheim, as well as nationwide.”
The company continues to invest in the tropical category with new varieties of dragon fruit and coconuts, such as Hulas ready-to-drink coconut that comes with a straw.
Summer is peak time for tropical specialties such as lychee, rambutan, mangosteen and passion fruit, she added.
“We believe leveraging the attention the produce department receives during the summertime with seasonal summer fruits is a great way to introduce consumers to specialty tropical varieties by merchandising commodity ad items alongside high-volume specialty tropical movers,” Jackson said.
“Our Trendy & Tropical summer campaign helps retailers make the most of high-velocity SKUs and capitalize on seasonal excitement,” she added.
Davalan Fresh
Business has been favorable this year for Davalan Fresh on the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market, and the company is optimistic that this will be a great summer, said Andrew Miller, chief financial officer.
During the coming months, the company will offer a variety of specialty products, including dew drop cabbage, romanesco, platinum blonde frisee, exotic mushrooms, cherries, fresh figs, dragon fruit, passion fruit and orange, purple and green cauliflower.
Business in the Los Angeles market has been in transition, Miller said. Several companies have exited, and new companies have entered.
“The market is still a mainstay and servicing the Los Angeles metropolitan area,” he said. “We also send products all over the country and Canada.”
Navigating Tariffs
So far, distributors say they've survived President Donald Trump's trade tariffs relatively unscathed. The impact should be less for companies that deal with domestic fruits and vegetables than for those who handle multiple imported products.
A.V. Thomas Produce continues to monitor trade policy developments but does not anticipate any major disruptions, Fookes said.
“Summer is domestic season, so we will not see the full impact of tariffs on imported fruit and veggies until the late fall and wintertime,” Melissa's Schueller said.
“Tariffs have affected many imports,” he added, but they actually will make domestic product more competitive.
Tariffs are always something Frieda's monitors, especially in an import-heavy category like tropicals, Jackson said.
“We've managed to navigate these changes without disrupting our supply or passing costs to our customers,” she said.
Tariffs are an area of uncertainty, and uncertainty is never good for planning, said Miller of Davalan Fresh.
“We don't know what will happen, and we don't know if our customers are willing to pay for the higher costs,” Miller said. “So far the tariffs currently in place have not affected the market too much, but we don't know what will happen after the pause is over.”
