It’s been a challenging season for growers in west Mexico, said Chris Ciruli, partner of PennRose Farms LLC.
“We had extreme heat early on in the season when we were planning, then [a] lack of water, followed by the uncertainty of the tariff situation, which has made for an interesting season, to say the least,” Ciruli said.
Jorge Quintero Jr. agrees, noting it’s nothing like he’s seen during his time in the fresh produce industry.
“We can’t compare it to any other season as far as what I’ve seen, and I’ve been in the business for about 30 years now,” said Quintero, operations manager for Grower Alliance LLC, which grows chili peppers.
Growing season
Some growers in the states of Sinaloa and Sonora struggled with a lack of water early in the season, Quintero said, but that wasn’t a lingering problem.
“There was some rain that fell, but [the lack of] water was an issue at the very beginning, and most people down there had access to well water,” he said. “I don’t think the water was even a real issue of bringing volumes or demand or anything down.”
Jose Luis Obregon, president of IPR Fresh, said dry weather in the fall made water availability a challenge for some growers.
“The lack of rain in the fall has left reservoirs at very low levels,” he said. “Additionally, the consistently great weather has led to an oversupply, as there have been no natural disruptions to slow production.”
Currently, there’s been some unseasonably cool weather in the growing regions in west Mexico, which Ciruli said could dampen the season. PennRose ships cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash, hard squash varieties and some green beans from west Mexico.
Quintero said the cold weather slightly impacted Grower Alliance’s Sonora production because the season started early, but crops should be back by the second week of March.
“During the hard freeze or cold weather, that’s when they slow down, but we’re coming back into the Sonora period this week,” he said.
“The west Mexico season generally ends by the end of May, and our hope is that weather will be favorable, without extremes, so that we can close the deal on a positive note before we transition into Baja and other growing areas,” Ciruli said.
Alán Aguirre Camou, chief marketing officer for Divine Flavor, said crops in Sinaloa are in full force through May, with Sonora bridging a gap until production picks up in central and Baja California Sur.
“April and May will be key months for our melon programs, and then of course, our grape programs from Mexico will be in full force from April through July,” he said.
Aguirre Camou said Jalisco grape season looks good and will begin in mid-March. The company will also gear up to start its Sonora and California seasons after that.
He said Divine Flavor also recently added procurement manager Erendira Lara in Mexico to help solidify the company’s west Mexico program with growers in central Mexico.
Ciruli said PennRose Farms is winding down west Mexico vegetable production and will transition to Baja California soon. The company’s U.S.-based production is also shipping organic and conventional vegetables.
Volatility
The weather’s unpredictable nature has caused some price fluctuations this growing season, which also has been a challenge for west Mexico growers, Ciruli said.
“There have been multiple price spikes in the market, which have been followed by very low prices,” he said. “This has been across the board with veg items from west Mexico this season, particularly on account of weather and growing conditions.”
Quintero said the early threat of a drought slowed down availability and drove up prices, and he suspects some growers may have tried to capitalize on higher prices with the threat of lower crops.
“I think water was a main issue earlier before the season started,” he said. “A lot of people thought it was going to be really low volumes, and then all of a sudden there was a lot of product, not much demand.”
While Aguirre Camou said this season has been more “normal” in Sinaloa and Sonora, an improvement from last season.
“But the markets have been some of the most challenging we’ve seen in recent years,” he said.
Tariffs
In addition to price fluctuation and weather, growers have had to contend with possible tariffs imposed by the U.S.
“We are trying our best to fulfill our commitments to customers,” Ciruli said.
PennRose Farms had been challenged to keep consistent supplies for the last 60 days or so, Ciruli said. The company works closely with the International Fresh Produce Association and the Texas International Produce Association to better understand and prepare for the potential of tariffs, he said.
“The year 2026 is a review year for the USMCA trade agreement, and we hope for the best in terms of long-term solutions between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico,” he said.
Quintero said he noticed that customers slightly changed their purchasing habits as the talk of tariffs continued.
“It helped us in regards to customers buying more inventory, because usually they only buy for their daily sales or weekly sales,” he said. “But now since you’re not sure what’s going to happen, I see more people buying a little bit more inventory just to make sure they have their product in stock.”
Obregon said IPR Fresh is prepared for whatever will happen regarding tariffs, including an increased cost to the company.
“We’ve increased our customs bonds and developed internal reporting systems to ensure compliance with any regulatory requirements from U.S. Customs,” he said. “Additionally, we’ve secured extra lines of credit to cover potential tariff costs.”
Aguirre Camou said the talk of tariffs doesn’t just affect Mexico, but the entire global fresh produce industry.
“Production costs for all growers are constantly shifting in Chile, Peru, Mexico and the U.S.,” he said. “As with other similar scenarios, which have happened during the past decades, we make sure that our growers and retail partners are safe in price and costs.”
Aguirre Camou said the leadership team and board at Divine Fresh continue to keep in mind the entire supply chain, including growers, retailers and consumers, as it navigates the potential implications of tariffs.
“We’re grateful that an impasse was reached regarding tariffs (for the time being), which has given our team time to prepare for a clearer path of communicating the formula to use and understanding the legal deductions we would apply to lower the tax before passing that information onto the customer,” he said.
Quality
With the threat of tariffs and weather challenges, what retailers can expect this season?
Quintero said while some growers might have had some slight weather issues, Growers Alliance said its full slate of chili peppers — including Anaheim, pasilla and caribe, as well as jalapenos and serrano — look beautiful.
“Most of the chili pepper buyers try to buy all the peppers in one place, so if you have a one-stop shop for at least for peppers, that means that a lot of customers try to stick with you and order the whole combination of peppers with us,” he said.
Aguirre Camou said that’s also the goal for Divine Flavor, which offers year-round grapes, bell peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers.
“It’s not rare in our company, regardless of the weather changes and seasonal unpredictability, that our product looks best in quality and ripeness,” he said. “One of, if not our main core values are the best production quality on the commodities we grow.”
Obregon said with the good weather west Mexico experienced this growing season, retailers can expect some great-looking produce.
“The crops are in great shape and still have a few months left in the season,” he said. “Retailers can count on us to deliver high-quality products through June. After that, we’ll transition to importing peppers from Holland to ensure consistent supply and meet contract commitments, maintaining year-round availability.”
Obregon said IPR expanded its warehouse for better efficiency.
“Our upgraded facility allows us to offer even faster in-and-out services for all our customers’ produce needs,” he said.
