The weather is warmer and the crowds will hopefully be bigger as venues start to plan their spring menus.
We've spoken to Anthony Ponte from Melba Fresh, Joe Hamad from Fruitique, Gavin Kulper from Mastercut Meats and Peter Glinellis from YCC Poultry who all offered their valuable insight on where you’ll be spending more, and where you’ll be spending less.
“Queensland is colder than normal, which means we’re not experiencing a good year for produce. This means prices are higher,” says Anthony Ponte from Melba Fresh in Victoria. “While massive shortages aren’t common at this time of the year, capsicums might go short, and cabbage might still be short too…They’ve had a bad year."
He also believes that when it comes to rockmelons and honeydews, pricing will be higher as we enter spring, until the local melons start later in the season.
Local corn will be abundant starting late spring (around late September/October), and tomatoes will start becoming abundant in December.
Anthony also says that herbs are much better priced in spring, particularly flat and continental parsley, although coriander should be avoided as normally it goes to flower.
Joe Hamad from Sydney’s Fruitique agrees that herbs are better priced in spring than winter, but has observed higher than normal prices recently due to colder than usual temperatures across the country.
Limes have been expensive and may continue to be expensive for a while, but as the weather warms up Joe is positive that this should ease.
Joe also says strawberries and spring veggies will be cheaper. “Strawberries are cheap, and your spring veggies (dutch carrots, broad beans, peas, green beans) will be in abundance, as well as broccoli and cauliflower."
Regardless of the above advice, if the weather continues to be unseasonably cold, venues may struggle with prices that either stay stagnant or don’t drop.