Medrano Produce Highlights Promotional Lemon Volume as Lime Market Firms; Franco Medrano Shares

PHARR, TX - Summer may be winding down, but the citrus market isn’t taking its foot off the gas. As programs push toward September, lemons and limes are heading down two very different paths. Medrano Produce is seeing plenty of promotional potential on smaller lemons, while weather pressure is squeezing quality lime supplies and keeping that market firm. I caught up with Franco Medrano, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, for a closer look at what’s shaping both markets.

“Overall, we're seeing plenty of lemon volume in the market; availability is not a concern at the category level. The current crop is skewing heavily toward smaller fruit, with strong supplies of 165s, 200s, and 235s, while larger sizes such as 75s, 95s, 115s, and 140s remain noticeably tighter,” Franco shared.

For retailers, smaller fruit is where the action is. Strong availability of 165s, 200s, and 235s is opening the door for bagged lemon programs, value packs, and multi-unit promotions from now through September, giving merchandisers plenty to work with as summer gives way to fall.

“Larger fruit will remain the premium play until sizing improves later in the season, so we'd encourage flexibility on size specs wherever the merchandising format allows,” he added.

Mother Nature has certainly turned up the thermostat, but Medrano’s growing regions are holding their own. Harvest has stayed on schedule despite elevated temperatures, and incoming rainfall could give the crop another boost by helping fruit size up. As that happens, availability on the larger end of the lemon spectrum should gradually improve.

The lime market, however, is serving up a different story.

“The lime market is firming, driven primarily by supply-side pressure from a challenging summer crop,” Franco explained. “As that clean, export-grade supply tightens, we expect the market to continue moving higher in the near term.”

A combination of summer heat and rain has taken its toll on fruit condition, resulting in more fruit being graded out before it ever reaches the market. That puts quality limes in a tighter position just as shoppers are shifting some of their discretionary dollars toward back-to-school needs.

For retailers, Franco suggests playing the long game rather than forcing aggressive promotions into a challenging market. Maintaining a consistent everyday presence and keeping quality front and center can bridge the gap until the seasonal transition creates a more favorable promotional window later in the fall.

“We manage this through rigorous quality control at our warehouse so that what ships to our partners meets specs, but at the market level, buyers should expect quality fruit to remain at a premium until weather pressure eases with the seasonal transition,” Franco concluded.

As summer citrus hands the baton to fall, keep it locked on AndNowUKnow for the latest market intel.