Fresh produce wholesale
Planning a year-round fresh produce supply calendar
Year-round supply rarely comes from one origin. This guide shows importers, distributors and retailers how to build a supply calendar from confirmed windows, forecast demand and plan the overlaps and back-ups that keep shelves full.
Short answer
A year-round supply calendar maps your forecast demand by week or month against the harvest and shipping windows that suppliers in each origin confirm for your exact product. Plan overlaps at every handover between origins, keep at least one alternate per period, and record a trigger and action for each risk. Do not copy generic season charts: windows shift with variety, weather and year.
What a supply calendar is
A supply calendar is a week-by-week or month-by-month plan that shows, for one product, how much you need, which origin is expected to supply it, and what happens if that origin falls short. It turns a seasonal crop into a continuous programme.
Three terms matter. A harvest window is when the crop is picked in an origin. A shipping or arrival window adds packing and transit time — weeks for sea freight. An overlap is a period where two origins can both supply, used to hand over without a gap.
Takeaway: Plan against arrival windows at your warehouse, not harvest windows at the farm.
Step 1 — Forecast demand by period
- Start from your own sales or usage history by week, not a yearly average
- Mark promotions, holidays and seasonal peaks that change volume
- Split by specification: size, grade and pack each count as separate demand lines
- Add a planning buffer you can defend from past variance, and note where it came from
- State the result as volume per shipment, cadence and total per year or season
Step 2 — Compare windows across origins
For each candidate origin, ask exporters to state their expected harvest and shipping window for your variety, the transit time to your destination, and how confident they are. Record the date and source of every answer. Hemisphere and climate shift seasons, but variety, altitude, protected growing and the year's weather move them further, so generic charts are only a starting point.
Also record what changes between origins: market access for your destination, documents, pack styles and typical transit. A cheaper origin with a longer voyage may need a different maturity specification — see the buyer's specification checklist.
The reusable planning table
Copy this table into your spreadsheet and fill one row per period. Leave cells as "to confirm" until a supplier has stated them. It is a template — the example labels are placeholders, not season data.
| Period (week / month) | Forecast demand | Primary origin | Overlap / alternate origin | Confirmed window (source, date) | Risk and trigger | Contingency action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Period 1 | Volume per shipment × cadence | Origin A — to confirm | Origin B — to confirm | Exporter name, date of statement | e.g. late start; trigger: no packing confirmation by agreed date | Bring forward alternate; adjust size or pack |
| Period 2 | … | … | … | … | e.g. weather event, port delay | Air-freight top-up; substitute variety if accepted |
| Handover | … | Origin A ending | Origin B starting | Both confirmed | Quality drop at end of season | Stricter arrival inspection; shorter storage |
Step 3 — Plan overlaps and contingencies
- Schedule a deliberate overlap at each handover so the new origin starts before the old one ends
- Hold at least one alternate origin or supplier per period, with the specification already agreed
- Define triggers in advance (missed packing date, failed inspection, transit delay) and who acts on them
- Decide which substitutions you will accept — size, variety, pack — and which you will not
- Review the calendar monthly against actual arrivals and update windows with the source and date
Takeaway: A contingency without a trigger and an owner is only a hope.
How to use the calendar in an RFQ
- Attach your demand line per period and the origins you accept.
- Mark which windows are confirmed and which are assumptions.
- Submit through the produce sourcing request; our team reviews scope, completeness and programme value (assisted sourcing from USD 250,000 per year or season, not per shipment).
- Our team approaches suppliers across the origins you accept; you receive comparable offers and screened introductions only after review and with your approval.
What the platform does not do
Global B2B Group does not grow or export produce and does not guarantee availability, windows, price or delivery. Supply windows are stated by suppliers and can change. For the transport side of each handover, see farm-to-port cold-chain checkpoints; cold-storage infrastructure questions go to our specialist platform ColdMatch.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get year-round supply of a seasonal fruit or vegetable?
By combining origins whose confirmed arrival windows overlap, with an alternate for each period and agreed substitution rules.
Where do I find harvest dates for each origin?
Ask exporters in each origin for their expected window for your exact variety, and record the source and date. Generic charts are only a starting point.
How much overlap should I plan between origins?
Enough to cover transit time plus the uncertainty in both suppliers' windows; derive it from your own arrival history.
Should I forecast by month or by week?
By week for fast-moving lines and by month for slower ones; the calendar should match how you order.
Does Global B2B Group guarantee continuous supply?
No. We review requests and approach suppliers; we do not hold stock or guarantee supply.
What is the minimum programme size?
Assisted sourcing applies from USD 250,000 in total annual or seasonal value — not per shipment. Buyer requests are free.
Ready to plan your supply programme?
Send your demand by period and the origins you accept through the produce sourcing request. It is free, and our team reviews every request before any supplier is approached.
Assisted sourcing from USD 250,000 per year or season. No guarantee of supply, windows, price or delivery.