Thursday, April 3, 2014

The Fight over Mexican Limes

To many of you it's just a garnish on your margarita or the added flair in your corona, and in most food recipes it's true.  But the buzz on limes is that the prices are going to skyrocket within the next few weeks. Mexico, just like us, has experienced unseasonably long bad weather that has put a halt on harvesting quality limes.  In turn the price has gone up since demand is in high supply but the stock is low.  Unlike most other supply and demand situations this one has a back story that isn't usually seen by the public eye.  

The mexican police and military forces are in a constant battle with the Mexican cartel who have found a new enterprise in robbing lime trucks in order to make money on the demand of growing lime prices. As of late, most if not all of the trucks that ship limes in Mexico have been escorted by government paid armed guards or military serviceman to ensure that cartel members are not raiding these trucks for the "green gold."  In order to cover the expenses of paying these guards the prices of limes are increased even more on top of the already inflated price. And while this ensures that you have your lime wedge in your favorite margarita it ultimately effects companies and businesses like us who buy large quantities of them.  

The national average last year was 21 cents per lime. As of now, most national marketplaces sell them for upwards of 60 cents. While it may not seem like much to some, it eventually adds up.  That's quite a lot of hubbub for a humble garnish. But on the lighter side, the government believes that the weather will change drastically soon and prices will go back down, which is great since Cinco de Mayo is just around the bend here with its overabundance of margaritas and guacamole. You'll never see us low on the "green gold."  No matter the price we like to assure you that even the smallest garnish makes the biggest difference!  

No comments:

Post a Comment