Tomato Shortage 2011--Not at Daisy Mae's Market

Every year we go through periods where certain items at our fresh produce stand at Findlay Market disappear. A few weeks ago, green beans were in short supply. Another week, we hardly had any celery. It's almost always weather-related, and within a few weeks, the items start to reappear.
If you've been anywhere other than under a rock the last week or so, you know about the current tomato shortage. A quick Google search showed me 195,000 search results for "Tomato Shortage 2011" so I know everyone is talking about it. For the first time in about 50 years, Florida and Mexico experienced damaging freezes at about the same time this winter. It's not that there aren't any tomatoes, it's just that they are in short supply as farmers wait for the next crop to mature. If you know what supply and demand does to prices, you'll understand why fast food restaurants like Wendy's and Subway decided to temporarily remove or limit tomatoes on their sandwiches. Grocery stores and markets, on the other hand, may have raised prices on the tomatoes they do offer.
However, at Daisy Mae's Market, we're in a unique position. Since Jeff spent years in the wholesale produce business, he has developed special relationships with most of our suppliers. One result of his experiences is that tomatoes have actually become one of our specialties. In fact, check our company logo and you'll see that it includes a tomato in the center of a daisy...Our avatar we use for Facebook and Twitter includes a tomato as well. The tomato is "our thing." Jeff knows tomatoes, and our suppliers know Jeff. This cooperative effort allows us to continue to bring fresh tomatoes to you at reasonable prices year-round.
So next time you see a sign at the drive-through window apologizing for a lack of tomatoes, think of us. In fact, just swing through the drive-through and keep on driving to Daisy Mae's where you can get delicious fresh tomatoes at good prices any time.