January 27th, 2026

Weekly Market Report

Welcome to the Weekly Market Report, your go-to rundown for all the highs and lows of the week.

Sunday was a wild one. For the first time ever, we had to fully cancel deliveries on Monday...a call we definitely didn’t make lightly. Toronto got absolutely dumped on with 46 cm of snow, officially the snowiest day in the city's recorded history. Thanks to everyone for bearing with us during the service disruption.

But, we were back out there today, catching up and getting you those deliveries safely. 

Now…onto this week's highlights. Here’s what’s worth taking note of this week.

 THE TL;DR VERSION

Market At A Glance: 

• 🔺Tight & elevated: Lettuce, tender leaf items, celery, carrots, green onions, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, cilantro, Italian parsley, fennel, leeks, Napa, hot peppers, limes, and snow/snap peas all remain tight due to freeze impacts, rain and fog, mildew issues, and ongoing prorates.
• 🔻Easing: Asparagus is improving out of Mexico, table grapes are easing with strong offshore volume, tomatillos are stabilizing, and melons are firming up with better cantaloupe and honeydew arrivals.
• ➡️ Transitioning: Melons are transitioning as Guatemala shifts regions, tightening Cantaloupe and keeping Honeydew sizes limited. Strawberries are also between seasons, with California winding down, Baja ramping up, and Central Mexico easing off peak.
• ⚠️ Price Watch:
  • Bananas: Expect increases over the coming months as markets remain firm.
  • Avocados: Pricing is climbing ahead of Super Bowl demand, with weekly increases expected into late spring.
  • Limes: Continued volatility through Q1, especially on larger sizes.

📈 What’s Up?: Prices are up on green beans, hot banana peppers, shishito peppers, select tomatoes, ginger root, and coloured bell peppers due to Florida freeze impacts, Ontario greenhouse disruptions, wet new-crop ginger, and reduced Mexican pepper production.

📉 What's Down?: Prices are easing on asparagus sea beans, Brussels sprouts, and okra as markets correct and availability improves, though Brussels sprouts may remain slightly elevated.

🍍 New Arrivals: Baby pineapples arriving on Friday this week! 

🌿 Basil Packaging Update: We will be rolling out basil packaged in pizza boxes as soon as possible to give it extra protection against the cold.

❤️ The Winter Rush Is Coming: Winterlicious + Valentine's back to back means it’s about to be a busy stretch! Your reps are here to make sure you’ve got everything you need.

🟥 Red Flags: Full details and a few shorts from last week of note below.

❄️ Frozen Fruit & Veg: The one category that's weather proof.

🧀 Non-Produce Pick of the Week: Damn good local burrata, full stop.

Market Recap

What's Up, What's Down

📈Price Increases📈

These items have surged in price this week:

• GREEN BEANS, HOT BANANA PEPPERS, SHISHITO PEPPERS & SELECT TOMATOES (2153, 2976, 3019, 4674, 4675, 4676 ) - The cold freeze in Florida has impacted crops across the East Coast, tightening supply. Pricing is expected to remain elevated for the next few weeks until new harvests come online.
• CAMPARI & GRAPE TOMATOES  (4738 & 4643) - Heavy winter storms have disrupted Ontario greenhouse production, tightening supply across multiple items.
  
• GINGER ROOT (2538) - New-crop containers are arriving, and as expected, the product is coming in wet. Old-crop ginger is still available but showing quality issues. The market will stay high for the next couple of weeks until new-crop quality improves.
  
• RED, ORANGE, YELLOW BELL PEPPERS (3000, 3007, 3028) - Mexican crops have finished flushing excessive product. Supply is matching demand and prices have tightened up.  

📉Price Drops📉

These items have dropped in price this week:

• ASPARAGUS SEA BEANS (4650) - A market correction is underway, and pricing is expected to hold at these levels through spring.
• BRUSSELS SPROUTS (2225) - Market has begun to correct, however prices will stay slightly elevated for a while. 
• OKRA (2844) - Improved availability out of Honduras.

New Arrival!

🍍Baby Pineapple Arriving Friday🍍

Small pineapple, massive personality. Baby pineapples are extra sweet, totally edible (core and all), and basically guaranteed to make any dish look like it’s on vacation. Arriving on Friday!

New Basil Packaging Incoming

🌿Cold Weather + Delicate Items = Not Fun 🌿

With the extreme cold snap that’s basically been the whole month of January, some sensitive items are more at risk of freezing during transport or unloading even with all the precautions we take.

Basil has been especially susceptible to the weather, so we will be rolling out packing all basil in pizza boxes as soon as possible to give it some extra protection from the elements. If anything shows up not looking right, just message your rep or customer service and we’ll sort it out.

Are You Ready?

❄️The Winter Rush Is Coming❤️

With Winterlicious running Jan 30–Feb 12 and Valentine’s Day landing on a Saturday this year, it’s about to get busy busy for restaurants across the city. If you’re tweaking menus, bracing for volume swings, or need a hand with subs or product availability, your rep’s here for whatever you need!

Supply Watch!

🚩Last Week's Shortages🚩

Last Week's Shorts:

• Thai Basil | 2136 — High demand coupled with product not surviving transport throughout the week due to weather caused shorts.
  
• Chives | 2341 & 2342 — Supply remains disrupted across multiple vendors due to continued flight delays.
• Lettuce Lola Rossa | 2667 — Increasing demand last week caused some shorts but we should be good moving forward.
  
• White Button Mushrooms | 2763 — Weather is impacting overall crop growth, particularly affecting #1 and #2 grade harvests.
• Radicchio Rosa & Treviso, Chanterelle Mushrooms and Belgian Endive | 4169, 7284, 2494 & 6557 — Order delayed due to flight delays caused by weather.
• Grapefruit Juice | 4304 — Production delays have been resolved and the item is now back in stock.
• Ginger Turmeric | 4748 — Greenhouse's production has been delayed over the past two weeks, resulting in shorts.
  
• Sprout Basil | 7757 — Product arrived with weather-related damage; substitutions are now in place.
• Navel Orange | 2910 — Weather-related trucking issues are causing delivery delays.
• Valencia Orange | 2919 — Valencias remain very tight as we wait on offshore containers.
• Bartlett Pear | 3143 — The U.S. season is winding down, and larger fruit is now more available. We’ll most likely be subbing with 80ct.

Frozen Foods

❄️The One Category Winter Can’t Touch❄️

If there was ever a week to hype our frozen lineup… it’s this one.

Picked and frozen at peak freshness, it keeps its flavour, colour, and nutrition no matter what’s happening outside, giving you steady, reliable quality all winter long. 

Non-Produce Pick of the Week

When in Doubt, Burrata

Burrata always hits and honestly, we get it. It's silky, rich, and stupidly versatile, one of those ingredients that earns a spot on menus year-round. Throw it on a seasonal salad, pair it with citrus, tomatoes, roasted veg, grilled bread...whatever you’ve got, burrata makes it better. Locally made by Quality Cheese, she's a menu mainstay (for good reason)!