There is greater stone fruit supply from Chile this season. "Supply has been pretty steady with good, stable growing conditions," says Summit Produce's Franco Pruzzo. "The volumes are very similar to last year with close to an 18 percent percent increase on peaches and a 38 percent increase on nectarines and with considerable growth on white flesh nectarines."
© Summit Produce
The Chilean stone fruit season started early this year.
This comes amidst an earlier start to the season this year by about seven to 10 days from Chile, with breakbulk vessels arriving already in the second and third week of December. "This was very good news because it gave us product to promote and put on the shelves early for Christmas and New Year's Eve sales," says Pruzzo, adding that those vessels were largely yellow and white nectarines with few peaches.
The Chilean nectarine season is expected to run until the first or second week of April on both colors while peaches will wrap up at the end of March. Plums, which saw the first arrivals in the U.S. last week, will go until the end of May to the first week of June. There's also a more optimistic outlook on importing plums from Chile this season. "Last year we were still fumigating plums for certain growing regions in Chile and this year will be similar," says Pruzzo. "However, last year was challenging because the fruit quality was affected by the fumigation required to import plums. This year, with a full season of experience, we have a better understanding of timing and which varieties perform best under fumigation. As a result, it should be a better year than last, supported by the continued strong demand we are seeing—especially for cherry plums and some black plum varieties''.
Varietal updates
Another welcome development this year is the introduction of newer nectarine and plum varieties coming into production in Chile. These are expected to generate greater consumer excitement, offering a significantly improved eating experience and a more consistent product than in previous seasons.
© Summit Produce
This season from Chile there is a 38 percent increase on nectarines, with considerable growth on white flesh nectarines.
As for demand, the season began with strong air-shipment demand between November and mid-December. "We're now starting to see some softening in demand due to the typical heavier arrivals toward the end of December, which naturally puts pressure on the market," says Pruzzo. "At the same time, there is increased competition at the store level from cherries, a category that has shown considerable growth in both volume and promotional activity across the country. Cherry volumes are up approximately 60 percent compared to the 2024–25 season, creating greater competition at store level. The stone fruit category needs renewed momentum to compete more effectively and elevate consumer engagement."
All of these factors have kept pricing at average levels, in line with historical trends. "From a nominal standpoint, this can be viewed as positive news given the year-over-year increase in shipped volumes," Pruzzo adds. "However, from a relative standpoint, it's less positive when considering the U.S. tariff. At 10 percent, and unlike other categories, profitability in this segment is thin, and the tariff is significantly impacting growers' returns."
For more information:
Franco Pruzzo
General manager
Summit Produce Inc.
[email protected]
Domingo Hidalgo
Grower relations
Summit Produce Inc.
[email protected]
https://www.summitproduceinc.com/
