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Scalzo Foods & Ocean Spray Partnership

It is our great pleasure to announce that Scalzo Foods has been appointed as the Australian ingredient agent for Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. based out of Melbourne. Scalzo Foods is an agile, growth orientated business that focuses on innovation and adding value…

Psyllium

There has been an drastic change in the raw material prices in last one month. Due to COVID19 situation, the psyllium seed price here is very firm. The demand for Psyllium has increased during this pandemic period and on the…

Cashew Market Update

In June some surprisingly large Vietnamese RCN import volumes were revealed. Some of these numbers have since been questioned, with a wide range of explanations offered to discredit them. How accurate the imports are remains to be fully understood but…

Almond Update

The Australian almond industry is on track to post a crop around the same size as last year’s record volume. Harvest of Non Pareil variety (around 50% of the crop) is complete and growers have now just started working on…

Cashews

Vietnam has announced a 15-day lockdown commencing the first of April. Fortunately, at this stage it appears as though cashew production and exports will be unaffected, unlike in India where the 3-week lockdown has completely halted the cashew industry. Raw…

Scalzo Modern Slavery Statement 2019

Please see the Scalzo Modern Slavery statement here

Almonds

The Californian NASS Objective Estimate was released today and the number is 2.2 billion pounds. This is 12% down from the Subjective estimate that came out in May. The estimate yield per acre is down 10% on last year and…

Macadamias

The price for Macadamia kernel continues to increase. We will see yet another increase this season and this will continue as long as global demand still outstrips supply. The crop is down compared to the estimates that were published. This…

Walnuts

The Californian walnut industry is very well sold and offers rare. Shipments for the crop year to date are significantly higher than last year. Prices for remaining volumes are extremely high compared to where the market opened. Buyers have turned…

Pecans

The global market for pecan kernel is extremely volatile right now, primarily due to the trade wars between China and the US. In July last year China increased its tariff on US pecans by 40 per cent, from seven to…

Apricots

The availability of the raw material is still tight in the market as farmers are not willing to sell their stocks causing the expectation of higher prices in the coming weeks. Demand is also expected to increase leading to upward…

Almonds

USA The Californian January shipment report has just been released. • Shipments remain strong • China trade war hasn’t really affected the USA almond industry at all. Australia will shortly fill that void with new season and will be able…

Cashews

Cashew prices have come under pressure in the last couple of months after peaking in November and on the back of the Tanzanian issue where the government refused to sell stock at market levels. This held back supply from the…

Macadamias

Australian macadamia growers have produced a record crop in 2018 – 49,300 tonnes inshell at 3.5% moisture. The crop has finished 3% higher than the previous forecast. The strong result can be attributed to favourable harvest conditions with minimal rain…

Coconut

Demand for desiccated coconut has remained extremely weak since mid-year. Buyers are not covering long in anticipation of further price decreases. Volume buyers are looking to take advantage of current low prices by trying to lock in Q2 and 3…

Almonds

The California Almond Board has released the November Almond Position Report with shipments of 237.6 million pounds. This is an all time November shipment record and as a comparison, last year’s number was 228.4 million pounds. This news is not…

Walnuts

The final crop number will be around 650 thousand tonnes, down from the objective estimate of 691 thousand. The main catalyst for the shortfall is that the Chandler crop was below what was originally expected. This is creating somewhat of…

Apricots

The size and quality of the 2018 crop are both in the average range. Although raw material prices are stable, volatility of the Turkish Lira continues to complicate the market. As a result most packers are hesitant to make long…

Cashews

Prices have continued to ease over the last month as the market has been slowly absorbing the excess RCN that’s available in the market. This has continued to put financial pressure on processors in Vietnam, which will now likely lead…

Peanuts

The Argentinean peanut industry is suffering at the moment on all fronts. The export rebates were lowered, export taxes were imposed and all of this on top of enormous losses on production and quality on the 2017 crop. Surprisingly, the…

Macadamias

The 2018 Australian macadamia crop is expected to reach 44,500 tonnes in-shell at 3.5% moisture, from 44,000 tonnes in 2017. On the other hand the South African crop is expected to be low. Harvest conditions have been favourable. 90% of…

Almonds

This week, the Almond Board released the August shipment figures. The report came as a surprise, better than expected new sales numbers and reasonable shipments too. This has basically kept the market stable.  California shipped a slightly better than…

Garlic

USA Garlic harvest started around the 7th of July, typical for the Californian season. Weather has been good in the growing area, which is quite concentrated in the Central Valley of California, versus onion which is grown throughout the State.…

Apricots

The new crop has started to arrive into the market in Turkey. This has started to provide a clearer view of what the new season will bring. While the official crop estimate came in at approx. 81,000mt, most packers are…

Cashews

The world cashew market remains weak, with reports of many Vietnam processors not taking deliveries of the imported cashew nuts in shell. However, there are signs we may have seen the bottom of the market already with a lot more…

Almonds

USA The USDA released the 2018 Objective Almond Estimate with a figure of 2.45 billion pounds (kernel basis). This is based on 1,070,000 bearing acres. The 2.45 billion pound number is up 6.5% on May’s Subjective Crop Estimate and 7.9%…

Pistachios

Strong shipments from California continue and 2017 carryout will be small. 2018 will be an "On" year in the US, with positive expectations for the crop. Bloom was 2-3 weeks late which will lead to a late harvest; initial shipments…

Sultanas

Currency has been a major impact over the past month with the Turkish Lira depreciating against the USD to close to 5TL to 1USD, this has kept prices stable while the raw material prices continue to rise. Raw material prices…

Walnuts

In California prices have further softened. The packers with product left have been open to bids. The 2018 crop continues to progress well. In Chile, prices have followed Californian product downward but selling efforts have begun to gain traction. In…

Garlic

USA Garlic harvest will start around the 7th of July, typical for the Californian season. Weather has been good in the growing area, which is quite concentrated in the Central Valley of California, versus onion which is grown throughout the…

Apricots

Exports finished in April, 13% ahead of the same time last season. This is a slow down from January, when exports were tracking ahead by 21%. The strong export figures were likely a major contributor to the rally in prices…

Almonds

The California Almond Board released their March position report at 176.40 million pounds. This is up 9.1% on April 2017. This will be the 7th consecutive record shipping month in a row with total shipments to date 12.1% up on…

Peanuts

The continuing drought (reported worst drought in 30 years) in Argentina is the main news in the world peanut market over the past 2-3 months. Although over Easter Argentina finally received decent rains, these rains will mainly help later plantings…

Tomato

The Australian 2017/2018 crop is still being harvested and the forecasted output remains at 245,000 tonnes. The 2018 season processing planning and initial forecasts have been strongly affected by the weather conditions. Firstly, worries on water supply/shortages related to the…

Cashews

Cashew prices have fallen over the last month as reports continue to come in that the upcoming new crop is looking healthy. Supplies of cashews are expected to increase year on year, which has prompted buyers to remain short and…

Sultanas

Turkey Prices from Turkey have remained stable for the past month, this is at the highest level that we have seen all season but stability is always positive for the industry. The 2018 crop is already being discussed as being…

Walnuts

The Californian market is off to a slow start in 2018 with not much demand being experienced so far. High halve count product represents excellent value at the moment as packers are very light on pieces while halves are in…

Almonds

The January Californian almond shipment report just came out and what happens in the USA will be a direct reflection of upcoming Australian almond pricing. In short: ~ USA Shipments were 17% up on January 2017 ~ Overall demand up…

Macadamias

Global demand for macadamias remains strong across all markets for both kernel and in-shell. For 2018 the kernel market is looking very tight till July/August 2018. If you still have uncovered positions, you really need to cover. It is interesting…

Garlic

USA Harvest began on time in early July and with small exceptions has been uninterrupted by rain. This season’s crop yield is expected to be 20-30% larger than last year with consistent quality attributes. Due to the exhausted inventory balance…

Apricots

The sentiment from packers remains, that farmers feel there is enough demand for whole apricots at current levels to keep prices firm. This is coupled with the fact that apricots are returning to levels more in line with historical averages.…

Peanuts

The global supply of peanuts has increased year on year, which many thought would continue to push prices lower, however it looks like some origins have softened in price and others are holding their ground. The US is almost certain…

Cashews

Cashew prices have firmed by 4-5% over the last month as low availability of raw cashew nuts (RCN) begins to affect the kernel market. Processors in Vietnam have been eagerly awaiting fresh imports of RCN from Tanzania and Mozambique, as…

Almonds

The world almond market remains stable and in general terms, the industry is well sold. October 2017 was an all time record with an October Californian almond shipment month at 246.5 million pounds. This is 4.5% up on 2016’s record…

Walnuts

Early market activity in California has been quiet so far, activity is well behind where it has been over the past several years. The final estimate will be released on the 7th of September; the estimate is tipped to be…

Apricots

The crop is now harvested after running approximately two weeks behind a typical season. The market was disrupted by the Turkish holiday period and has re-opened at higher prices with firming due to prompt demand and movements in the Lira.…

New Season Garlic

US Market Update After a poor 2016 crop the American volumes will bounce back to around the 40 million pound mark. This is the same level that they were expected to reach in 2016 but due to low availability of…

Pistachios

There are still current crop offers available, although the majority of suppliers are no longer offering. The unofficial Californian new crop estimate has been in the 250,000-300,000 tonne range. This is significantly lower than last year’s 400,000 tonne crop, making…

Almonds

The demand/consumption for almonds is very strong. The almond market is stable with firmer undertones because of this. Shipments in both May and June exceeded expectations, setting domestic records and a total industry record in June. Unlike last year, these…

Tomato

Main producers of tomato confirmed their expected volume despite of the intense heatwave that has been experienced in the past weeks mainly in Europe and in the US, but it may be still too early to estimate volume losses. The…

Walnuts

Exports out of Chile have begun to decrease as we move closer to the Northern Hemisphere new crop. Californian current season stock is very scarce; we do not expect to see many offers until new crop. Despite the fact that…

Garlic

China In recent days there has been some upward movement in price on both fresh and dehydrated garlic. This comes after the prices dramatically fell last season. Some of the contributing factors to the increase are; high farmer input costs…

Cashews

Vietnamese cashew prices have eased over the last few weeks due to an influx of raw material from Africa and a lull in demand. Most buyers still remain hand to mouth, with the majority covered until August/September shipments. The question…

Peanuts

The INC reported last month at its annual conference that it expects the 17/18 global peanut crop to come in at 42.3Mmt (in-shell), a 0.8Mmt increase from last year. However at the same time it expects consumption to increase year…

Pecans

The Australian pecan crop is on track to meet the 2017 forecast of 2400mt (nut in shell). An unseasonably warm autumn and heavy rains in Northern NSW (remnants of Cyclone Debbie) into late March was experienced. Although this is good…

Apricots

The crucial period of frost risk has passed with a bumper crop expected for the new season. While not all risk has been eliminated, early speculation is that prices will open lower than 2016. Typically a larger crop results in…

Sultanas

Turkish sultana’s prices continue to remain depressed when we look at the five year average. With optimum weather conditions thus far the 2017 crop points to another large crop provided there are no surprises in the lead up to harvest.…

Walnuts

The US market keeps on chasing records with shipment reports remaining at an all-time high. If shipments continue at this pace the 2017 carry-out is likely to dry up completely. Chilean shipment figures are not as detailed as Californian but…

Garlic

USA Processors began harvest at the outset of July and are now complete with the last fields finishing in mid October. Both tonnage and solid content of the 2016 crop were disappointing, with overall tonnage 15%-20% below historical averages and…

Cashews

The cashew market is running red hot at the moment as demand continues to outstrip supply, which is pushing the price to all time highs. The high price is forcing the market to remain hand to mouth on buying as…

Almonds

The Californian Almond Board acreage report which was released at the end of April is indicating a 6% increase on 2016 (940,000ac) where total bearing acres is finally going to crack the 1,000,000 acre mark – which illustrates a continuing…

Hazelnuts

The raw hazelnut price in Lira terms has traded in a tight band over the last few months, with the USD/TRY being the main cause of price movement. The new crop looks to have cleared the frost period basically unscathed,…

Cashews

The market remains volatile as users keep buying hand-mouth, with the expectation that prices will drop with Vietnamese new crop coming online. However reports are now circulating that the Vietnamese new crop isn’t looking great, due to excess rainfall. Therefore…

Macadamias

China continues to have a strong demand for nuts in shell and they seem to be buying from most producing origins. As a result, there might be a shortage of kernels, with wholes expected to become limited first. In 2017…

Brazil Nuts

Unfortunately there is no goods news to share on Brazils. The general market consensus is that the crop is 50-70% smaller than last year. Factories aren’t selling and we probably don’t expect them to until later in the year. If…

Tomatoes

Raw material prices across the global market were confirmed at the same level of 2016, or lower. Italy farmers and producers have signed the agreement for the price of raw material for the 2017 season. In China, prices are expected…

Poppy Seeds

The prices for poppy seed have moved down considerably. Supply in general is abundant the pressure on prices was and still is driven by the Czech Rep. The market is expected to continue to float at around current levels both…

Quin Scalzo ANIC Award

The 2017 ANIC (Australian Nut Industry Conference) was held in Melbourne last week, seeing the largest gathering of everyone and anyone in the nut industry. Attendees included retailers, resellers, processors, growers, association members and supporters. At every conference dinner, the…

Consumers choose APDF dried fruit

Coles’ traditional fruit hot cross buns have recently been lauded by consumer group CHOICE, with the bulk made using dried fruit grown in Sunraysia. CHOICE ranked the buns highest in taste and texture against other supermarket brands, grocers and independent…

Food Bank

Scalzo Foods are proud to be supporters of Foodbank Victoria. In 2016, Scalzo Foods donated an impressive 1247 kilos of food to Foodbank Victoria. This donation equates to 2244 meals for Victorians facing food insecurity. Each month, Foodbank Victoria sources…

Linseed

The final production estimate for 2016 Canadian flax crop is 579,000 tonnes, down by 39% from last year. Prices are stable despite the reduction in the volumes. This is due to the high Chinese demand. Linseed supplied from Eastern European…

Almonds

Unfavourable weather conditions in the second half of February during the critical bloom period coupled with strong export numbers out of California saw pricing firm by as much as 5% in one week – pressure on nonpareil varieties was particularly…

Poppy Seeds

The prices for poppy seed have moved down considerably. Supply in general is abundant the pressure on prices was and still is driven by the Czech Rep. The market is expected to continue to float at around current levels both…

Macadamias

The Australian Macadamia Society (AMS) reported in early March that the 2017 Australian crop forecast is 54,000mt NIS at 10% moisture. This would be the fourth year of consecutive growth for the industry and a 4% volume increase on last…

Cashews

The global market remains firm for the first few months of the 2017 calendar year. Vietnam is slowly acquiring more raw materialsfor processing, however this is still hand-to-mouth because of fears prices could fall quickly. The kernel market remains firm…

Coconut

The market is incredibly firm. Philippines coconut growing areas were hit by typhoon Nock-Ten over the Christmas period, further disrupting an already tight global supply of raw nuts and related products, including desiccated coconut. There has been significant damage to…

Almonds

Most buyers are in a ‘wait and see’ approach on almonds at the moment with California only a couple of weeks away from their bloom period. The market has remained relatively quiet throughout January with everyone anticipating both the January…

Garlic

Both tonnage and solid content of the 2016 crop were disappointing, with overall tonnage 15%-20% below historical averages and expectation. Poor quality of water and limited availability due to drought continue to be a significant factor in the recent underperformance…

Onion

Harvest in Central California concluded in early October, where water availability has been the most difficult. Yields were flat versus last year, but quality of micro and defect levels were slightly improved. The slip in yield is not expected to…

Pistachios

The Californian market has been stable recently with little price movement since a slight firming in December. For Australia our largest impact has been a depreciating currency. Current market levels seem to be attractive for global buyers and as a…

Peanuts

Current crop Hi Oleic peanut values have risen over the month as tightness in the Argentinian market continues to be felt. Most suppliers have now finished processing this year’s crop, which is 2-3mths earlier than usual. The smaller 2016 Argentinian…

Psyllium

Crop arrivals to market are very low. Approximately 70-80% of raw material arrives and is sold in the Indian markets during April to early June which is the peak season. Raw material arrivals considerably slow down by end of June.…

Walnuts

The start to the 2016 season has been very strong for Californian sellers. Nut in shell sales to markets like China, Turkey and India are all at record levels for the start of the season and this has resulted in…

Sesame Seeds

The Indian 2016 winter crop is expected to be considerably lower than the 2015 crop by as much as 30% to 40%. Indian farmers moved to alternative crops that will give them a better return than Sesame Seeds. India has…

Apricots

Turkish dried apricot prices have been on a firming trend as demand picks up and growers start to hold back deliveries of raw material. There was some major resistance from growers as prices drifted lower at the beginning of the…