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Weekly Market Report for May 19th

Author

Courtney Coish
May 21, 2025

Whew—playing catch-up after the long weekend means we’re a day behind on this week’s Market Report. But better late than never! Here's your go-to rundown of this week’s highs, lows, new arrivals, red flags, and everything in between.

This week’s key updates at a glance…

📈 What’s Up?: Prices are climbing on green grapes, select Mountainoak cheeses, and a variety of tomatoes—thanks to tight supply, weather curveballs, and rising production and freight costs.

📉 What’s Down?: Asparagus (2093), green beans, and red long chili peppers are all easing in price, thanks to local transitions, new harvests and better supply. We love to see it.

🌟 New Arrivals: Lev Bakery is back—this time with par-baked baguettes (11134) and frozen plain (11259) and sesame (11258) bagels.

🍓 On the Horizon: Local Tigchelaar strawberries are arriving at the end of next week!

🍅 USA Tomato Update: Due to regional transitions, weather challenges and the lingering effects of last year’s hurricanes, we’re anticipating a tighter supply window and elevated pricing on our USA grown Roma and Round tomatoes for the next 6–8 weeks. Our Local Roma program is tentatively set to begin in late July.

🟥 Red Flags: A few shortages from last week to note—Meyer Lemons (8120) are done for the season with a 6-week gap ahead. French Fries (2513) had delays but are back on track now. Canned Jackfruit (4584) is short due to high demand with restock expected this week.

🌟 New Newsworthy: Bondi has been named one of Deloitte Canada’s Best Managed Companies—four years running and now officially Gold Standard!

💜 Produce Pick of the Week: Spanish purple artichokes (7537)—stunning, seasonal, and highly chef-‘Gram worthy.

🫒 Pantry Picks of the Week: Castelvetrano olives (6507). Hand-harvested in Sicily, zero-waste, and pure gold for menus and snack boards.

Let’s dive in…

Market Recap: What's Up, What's Down

📈Price Increases📈

These items are experiencing a price surge this week:

  • GREEN GRAPES (SEEDLESS) - There’s a gap in the market right now that’s pushing prices up—but we’ll be into Mexican product soon, which should help bring pricing back down.

  • BRUSSELS SPROUTS - There’s very limited availability on good quality product right now, and pricing reflects this.

  • POTATO RED CREAMER “C” (3092) - Only a small amount of Canadian red Cs left! After that, we’re moving to U.S. product since quality on the Canadian crop is dropping—which happens around this time every year.

  • MURASKI & PURPLE YAMS - Supply is tight in North Carolina right now, which is driving prices up.

  • MOUNTAINOAK 2 YR GOUDA (10658) & WILD NETTLE GOUDA (10655)- Pricing on Mountainoak cheese has increased due to rising vendor production and freight costs.

  • THAI GREEN CHILI - Peak season air freight surcharges are pushing prices higher.

  • SELECT TOMATOES (4674, 4675 & 4676) - Due to regional transitions, weather challenges and the lingering effects of last year’s hurricanes, we’re anticipating a tighter supply window and elevated pricing on our USA grown Roma and Round tomatoes for the next 6–8 weeks. Our Local Roma program is tentatively set to begin in late July.

  • POBLANO PEPPERS - We’ve made the switch—now into Mexican product which has resulted in a price increase.

  • RED PEPPERS - We’re experiencing a slow transition to Ontario greenhouse product as Mexico’s main growing regions wrap up their season. This tighter supply is driving up prices.

  • CHINESE EGGPLANTS - Limited South American supply, with rain in Mexico affecting product quality.

  • HOT HOUSE TOMATOES (7381) - Ontario greenhouse tomato yields are down due to inconsistent weather in April and May, including rain and cooler nights.

📉Price Drops📉

These items have dropped in price this week:

  • GREEN BEAN - East Coast green beans out of Georgia are now readily available, with prices beginning to ease.

  • RED LONG CHILI PEPPER - Improved availability out of Spain is driving red chili pepper prices down.

  • SHISHITO & JALAPENO PEPPERS - A new growing region for specialty peppers has just come online in Mexico. While the season is expected to be short, current yields are strong and quality is looking great.

  • NAPA CABBAGE - Stronger yields from the East Coast are easing prices, with Georgia kicking off next week.

  • ASPARAGUS (2093)- We’re now into local season, driving asparagus prices down.

  • BOK CHOY - Shifting into Ontario product as local crops come online, dropping prices.

  • FLAT RUNNER BEANS - We’ve transitioned from Dutch to Spanish product, resulting in a drop in price.

🌟 New Arrivals🌟 

Lev Bakery Par-Baked Baguette (Code 11134)

That’s right—the same bakery behind the par-baked sourdoughs flying off our shelves lately is back with a new way to level up your bread game: a par-baked baguette that’s ready when you are.

Made with transitional and whole wheat, sourdough, and sea salt, this beauty lasts up to 3 months in the freezer. All the fresh-from-the-oven vibes, none of the 5am wake-up call.

These par-baked baguettes are 340g and come by the 30ct case.

Special Intro Pricing: 50% off for a limited time!

 

Frozen Plain and Sesame Bagels (11259 & 11258)

We’re also bringing in Lev’s plain and sesame bagels! These come fully baked and frozen in cases of 30 retail-ready 4-packs (that’s 120 bagels per case if quick math isn’t your forte).

With the chew and size of a New York bagel, the honey-boiled sweetness of a Montreal, and the versatility your menu needs—could this be the rise of the Toronto-style bagel?

They keep for up to 3 months frozen and stay fresh for 3 days once thawed—perfect for brunch menus, grab-and-go programs, or sandwich builds.

Special Intro Pricing: 50% off for a limited time!

 

🚩Red Flags🚩: Last Week's Supply & Quality Recap

Gap In Availability:

  • Meyer Lemons (8120) - End of season! There will be a 6 week gap in availability.

Last Week’s Shortages:

  • French Fries 9/32” (2513) - We experienced some delayed orders, but supply should stabilize moving forward.

  • Canned Jackfruit (4584) - Large spike in demand has led to a shortage—new inventory landing this week.

🌟 New & Newsworthy 🌟 

We’re proud to share that Bondi Produce has been named one of Deloitte Canada’s Best Managed Companies for the fourth year in a row—earning us Gold Standard status for 2025.

This recognition celebrates the strategy, performance, and people behind Canada’s top privately owned companies. Big thanks to our team, customers, and vendor partners for being part of the journey—we’re just getting started.

💜 Produce Pick of the Week 💜 

Spanish Purple Artichokes (7537)

These little stunners are at their peak—Spanish purple artichokes with that deep violet colour, tender leaves, and a nutty flavour that’s perfect for roasting, grilling, or even slicing raw into salads.

Grown in Spain and picked young, they’re super easy to work with and bring instant wow-factor to any plate. Limited season, big flavour—get ‘em while they’re around.

🫒 Pantry Pick of the Week 🫒 

Asaro Castelvetrano Olives | Code 6507

From the sun-soaked valleys of Sicily, these organic Nocellara del Belice olives are the real deal—grown, harvested, and cured with care by the Asaro family, who’ve been perfecting their craft since 1916.

This is small-batch, old-world quality with modern sustainability values baked in. Perfect for antipasti, olive boards, or any dish that calls for bold, briny flavour with a premium story behind it.

  • 100% eco-sustainable & biodynamic crops

  • Hand-harvested in limited batches

  • Processed within 4 hours of picking for peak freshness

  • Naturally preserved with Trapani sea salt

  • Vegan, non-GMO, zero-waste production methods

  • Grown on Asaro’s own land and returned to the same soil post-harvest

If you have any questions about anything you see, feel free to reach out to your designated sales rep or our awesome customer service team at [email protected]. We're here to help!

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