Lemon supplies in North America are steady right now. In the U.S., supplies are coming from California as well as Mexico while Canada is receiving shipments from the U.S. as well as Morocco-Egypt.

“While California has had an excellent spring and summer this year with very significant rains, the cosmetic quality of the fruit has been affected by excessive rainfall. Therefore, fancy grade fruit will be scarcer,” says Alejandro Moralejo, CEO of Salix Fruits, adding that the U.S. also supplies Asia with lemons.

Moralejo notes that right now the world’s lemon production is coming from the Northern Hemisphere and the volume globally is stable.

Right now Salix Fruit is importing citrus (oranges, along with lemons) from Mexico, and at the end of the month, the first lemon shipments from Spain will also arrive at its warehouses in Philadelphia.

As for demand, generally, the demand is very stable and the price depends more on the supply. “The normalization of ocean freight, both in service availability and prices, means that different, more distant origins can be competitive suppliers for the American market,” adds Moralejo.

Looking ahead, throughout the winter until early spring, Salix will have imported fruit from Spain to supply its customers. “This year also presents an excellent opportunity for Moroccan tangerines and oranges,” says Moralejo.

Meanwhile, Salix is already preparing for the upcoming Southern Hemisphere citrus campaign and this summer, it will also offer organic lemons from Argentina. “This is a unique product since Argentina is one of the few sources of this fruit to supply our customers,” says Moralejo.