Adrian Capote, Owner and VP of Sales, J&C Tropicals<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Right now in Florida what we are harvesting becomes very strong in the month of May and all the way through October. Peak season for all of the Florida tropicals is May, June and July. We offer a variety of specialty items that are not grown anywhere else in the U.S. or imported. Weather has been weird this year. We haven't gotten any cold weather and it has been a concern because we are expecting it to be a very hot Summer which typically fuels hurricane season to be a lot more active. Supply is good, there is plenty of supply right now of all the products. Market has been tough, the margins have been pinched. A lot of these items are specialty items. A lot of consumers would rather spend their money on more staple items. The Florida tropical program is around the corner and we are really focusing on supporting our backyard and our farmers. <hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Javier Gonzalez, VP, Ethics/Tropicals- Frontera Produce<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">We are harvesting pineapples out of the Southeast and Veracruz. Peak season right now is March through May. The weather impact that we have seen to this particular crop goes back a year and a half. There was quite a bit of rain in the Fall of 2010 and then in 2011 it was dry and cool which delayed everything so we are still seeing the effects of the weather. Supplies are good. There is enough to cover our base business and a few friends. The market has been pretty active so it has worked out fairly well for us. I think obviously a lot of it is driven by promotions, this item has grown quite a bit acreage-wise over the last six or seven years. Quality is good with good sugars and an outstanding shell color. We have a good item to sell, and we are going to have good supplies at least for another month and a half to two months. <hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Gary Clevenger, Managing Member/Co-founder, Freska Produce<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Right now we are harvesting in the Mexican state of Oaxaca and moving North into the states of Guerrero and Michoacán. We are harvesting Ataulfo, Tommy Atkins and Hayden varieties. Peak season is mid-April till the end of July. It starts to wind down and goes into Brazil towards the first part of August. Right now, weather seems to be cooperating with our harvest. There haven't been any weather incidents to hold harvest up yet this year. Supplies are exceeding last year. The market is strong. It has been strong for most of the Mexican season so far. There are lots of promotional opportunities coming up with Easter and Cinco de Mayo. We have lots of fruit coming at this time of the year from Mexico and retailers need to throw the mangos out on the front lines of the produce isles and remember that mangos are the most eaten fruit in the world and added to any dish make for a wonderful tropical flavor.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
