The supply of oranges in Florida is steady. "Right now we're packing pineapple oranges and we will pack them through the 1st week of February," says Doug Feek of Feek Family Citrus, who notes that it will then move into Valencia in mid February.
This follows good growing conditions this season which is particularly welcome given Hurricane Milton's effect on the crop in 2024. "We're not back where we would like to be, but we're increasing. The most important thing is the quality is increasing, says Feek.
That quality has helped the fresh market have first choice in oranges. External color is good on the crop–better than has been seen in a number of years–and Feek Family Citrus is shipping everything with a 10+ Brix. "That's not true for the state though so I think we're capturing a bit more business because we're trying to give customers what they want on quality," he adds.
© Feek Family Citrus
Steady demand for Florida oranges
As for demand, it's average though better than last year which is again attributed to the strong quality of the crop. That said, the company's weekly shipments continue to be up over last year.
All of this is leaving pricing steady and better than juice prices. "I think the price levels we're at right now will hold. We'll look again in February when we start on Valencias," he says.
The outlook on Valencia oranges is also positive with good Brix, brix to acid ratio, fruit and juice color and aroma. "We're seeing a lot of crops with between 11 and 12 Brix right now and hoping for brix levels to be between 11 and 13 Brix," says Feek. "Acids are still a bit high but dropping. We're also seeing much better color than we saw last year."
For more information:
Doug Feek
Feek Family Citrus
Tel: +1 (772) 473-3885
[email protected]
https://feekfamilycitrus.com/
