Why Western Mexico Remains Essential for Winter Produce in the U.S.
Ongoing labor and water challenges exist in the region, but recent rains have helped the condition of crops.
While the U.S. is a powerhouse of produce production, it still takes the power of imports to keep U.S. consumers supplied with fresh fruit and vegetables year-round.
Mexico is a key player in that supply chain. Much of its production, especially what is needed to supply the U.S. during the winter, comes from the country’s western states. These include everything from border states like Baja California and Sonora down to Jalisco and Michoacán in the southern end of the country.
“Western Mexico benefits from mild, stable winter weather, which allows growers to produce vegetables during the same months when U.S. and Canadian domestic production drops off,” explains Clarisa Batiz, senior vegetable category manager at Divine Flavor.
“That seasonal complement makes the region a critical piece of the year-round supply chain,” she adds. “When northern production slows during the winter, western Mexico steps in to supply peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, and other key commodities, ensuring U.S. retailers can keep shelves stocked consistently.”
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Luis Obregon, president of Nogales, Ariz.-based produce sourcing and distribution company IPR Fresh, adds that the “experienced grower base and strong infrastructure make it one of the most dependable winter vegetable regions in North America.” He calls western Mexico key to his company’s ability to supply a wide variety of vegetables, but especially bell peppers and European cucumbers, to U.S. consumers year-round.
“Its proximity to the U.S. is a major advantage; shorter transit times mean fresher product and more reliable arrivals,” Obregon says.
Challenges and Opportunities: Water, Labor and Climate
Mexico’s proximity to the U.S. also means it has been experiencing some of the same challenges that also trouble U.S. produce growers in western states: water and labor shortages.
“The available labor pool is shrinking each year, and the cost of labor continues to rise sharply. Recruiting and retaining farm labor has become increasingly difficult,” Batiz reports.
The water scarcity in some western Mexican states is also getting extreme, she adds.
“Regions like Sonora and Sinaloa have seen significant water stress,” Batiz says. “Some reservoirs are reportedly operating at only 20% to 30% capacity, forcing growers to reduce planted hectares and rethink irrigation strategies.”
While the more northwestern Mexican states have been having chronic issues with too little water, some of the more southwestern states have had the opposite experience this year. For example, the 2025 Pacific hurricane season was more active than usual, bringing more rain to some parts of western Mexico during summer and fall.
The added rain has benefited Mexico’s key avocados-for-export region, says Stephanie Bazan, senior vice president of commercial strategy and execution at Avocados From Mexico. She reports that the current supply of avocados for export to the U.S. is not only abundant, but trending toward larger sizes. This is in contrast to the generally shrinking avocado sizes seen industrywide.
“When there’s a lot of good water supply, the trees can size up the fruit,” she explains. “This year we’ve had some really good climate that’s enabled the trees to size up on fruit, and it’s nice large sizes; very promotable sizes.”
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While the added rain is helping avocado growers this year, Obregon cites ongoing climate variability, along with labor tightness in Mexico and the strong peso, as putting pressure on western Mexico growers and importers of their produce.
“In addition, ongoing efforts by certain U.S. groups to limit imports, along with the uncertainty surrounding potential tariffs, continue to create instability,” he says.
Continued Work on Tech, Sustainability and Social Responsibility
Both Obregon and Batiz say the challenges the region faces will continue into the future and will demand growers adapt and make ongoing efficiency improvements. This is something Obregon says is already underway.
“Growers in western Mexico continue to improve through more efficient drip irrigation, expanded protected agriculture and better postharvest cooling practices,” he says. “At IPR Fresh, we’re focused on strengthening cold-chain performance and partnering with growers who invest in technology and sustainability. Looking ahead, we expect continued progress in precision agriculture, resource efficiency and protected growing systems.”
Batiz says that Divine Flavor expects “continued progress in greater energy efficiency, smarter water use and deeper integration of social responsibility throughout our operations.”
She says operating at a large scale, yet keeping consistent sustainability practices across all growers, is one of Divine Flavor’s strengths, with reducing its overall carbon footprint throughout the supply chain being a central focus. Taking care of its people is another.
“We put a lot of effort into responsible recruitment practices, safe working conditions and programs that support workers’ well-being. For us, retaining our workforce and having employees who want to return season after season is one of the most meaningful indicators that we’re on the right path,” she says. “These elements will be essential for building a more resilient and sustainable agricultural future.”
Western Mexico Makes Football Guac Possible
When it comes to essentials, western Mexico — particularly Michoacán, all but makes winter avocados in the U.S. possible.
“Michoacán represents about 90% of the exports that come to the U.S.” Bazan says.
In 2023, almost 92% of the fresh avocados available in the U.S. were imported, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. The majority of those imports come from Mexico to the point that Bazan describes imports from Mexico as dominating the U.S. avocado market. That is especially true during what she calls the fall/winter ramp-up to football season in the U.S., culminating in the Super Bowl.
“When the Super Bowl comes around, we’re looking at a minimum 250-million-pound opportunity,” she explains. “This is pretty much our superstar time period of the year.”
Bazan adds that a typical Super Bowl week will see roughly 32% more avocados delivered than a normal average week. She puts that into perspective as a truck full of avocados leaving Mexico every six minutes in the lead-up to the Super Bowl to keep up with U.S. demand.
“And Michoacán is the only state that can provide the avocados that meet the demand for the fruit here in the United States,” she says.
“Because October, November and December is so critical in the U.S. because of the consumption that happens in this time period, primarily as we get into college football season and the huge association between guacamole and football, it is critical [to have an] abundant supply,” Bazan explains.
Fortunately, it looks like that will happen this year.
“This year is looking like it could be a record year for us,” Bazan says. “We’ve had some strong weeks in terms of harvest and supply, and the market is very promotable right now.”
State of Winter Crops
Bazan isn’t the only one expecting good things out of western Mexico during this winter season. Batiz reports that crop conditions look strong and that Divine Flavor is expecting a solid season for both volume and quality.
“Production out of Sonora and Sinaloa is coming along well, with healthy plants and good quality across peppers, tomatoes, squash and cucumbers,” she says.
While the 2024-2025 period was difficult for many farmers due to extremely low market prices, Divine Flavor is focused on ensuring it covers its program business securely and avoids overproduction, Batiz says. The company is reducing speculative planting and aiming for a more targeted, disciplined approach to match supply more precisely with demand.
Obregon similarly reports a solid start to the season with good quality and yields on IPR Fresh’ bell peppers and European cucumbers.
“With our year-round program firmly in place, we expect steady and dependable volumes for the U.S. market throughout the winter and beyond, assuming weather conditions remain cooperative,” he says.
Source: www.thepacker.com
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