BAKERSFIELD, CA – After early 2026 supply fluctuations, carrot volumes are beginning to rebound—bringing much-needed relief to retail and foodservice partners just in time for spring shopping and meal planning.
“Supply conditions are improving and beginning to better align with demand, putting the industry in a stronger position to consistently service customers moving forward,” Melissa Oliver, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bolthouse Fresh Foods, shares with me. “Earlier fluctuations were largely driven by the extended weather impacts across key growing regions, which impacted both availability and quality. As growing conditions have improved, we’re seeing supply recover. While the current political climate has introduced additional uncertainty, supply is trending in the right direction, and overall conditions are improving.”
As Melissa continues to describe what created the perfect storm in the market at the beginning of the year, she notes that a series of overlapping weather events—sustained fall and winter rains beginning in October 2025, which helped ease drought in California but led to oversaturated fields and difficult harvest conditions—tipped the scales.
“Those difficulties were compounded by extended periods of dense Tule fog, resulting in more than 50 consecutive days with little sunlight during key harvest windows,” Melissa explains. “This slowed crop development and impacted quality, particularly in Kern County. Warmer-than-average winter temperatures in the Desert Southwest introduced additional variability. In the Southeast, late-January and early-February frost events reduced yields after an otherwise strong start. Together, these factors created a prolonged supply disruption across key growing regions, tightening supply and shaping current market dynamics.”
In times of supply chain inconsistency, Bolthouse Fresh Foods works to maintain reliability and quality for its retail and foodservice partners. Maintaining consistent service and quality is a top priority for the operation, especially in more volatile conditions…