“Main Street economy is not mirroring what’s happening on Wall Street,” said Joe Bernardi of Bernardi & Associates, Nogales, AZ.  “I want to be optimistic about the upcoming Nogales deal, but retailers didn’t move the volume in September, October and November that we would have expected.”

He said the drop in unit sales appears to have spread across all venues: large and small retailers, regional and national chains and foodservice operations of all kinds. Speaking on the first day of December, Bernardi noted that while market prices have fluctuated, as they always do, resulting in fairly strong demand-driven FOB markets, the number of units being sold was consistently down through the previous three months

He worries that this could result in a depressed winter market. Bernardi noted that both Florida and Mexico have had excellent growing weather this fall which typically means good volume and lower FOB prices. “It’s going to be challenging this season,” he suspects.

In today’s retail world, that doesn’t usually equate to fire sale pricing for produce, which an economist might argue would be the best way to move the extra volume. 

Not wanting to wade into economic theories, Bernardi said he and his core of veteran employees (several of whom have been with him for more than two decades) will continue to make their mark by adding value to every transaction. “We have a customer base that dates back 30 years,” he said. “We continually try to add value to both our customer and the grower by doing the best for each of them and matching the right supplier with the right buyer.”

He believes this attention to detail and customer service will help the company ride through this upcoming challenging season, but nonetheless it is shaping up to be more difficult than usual.

Talking to Joe Bernardi at this time of year also meant sharing his time with the charity event he and his family hold every January in honor of his late daughter, Kayla.  This year the Kayla Bernardi Bee Positive Run will take place on Jan. 31 in Turlock, as well as all around the country…and even the world.

“We have kicked off the planning of the 11th Annual Kayla Bernardi BEE Positive 5K Fun Run/Walk taking place on Jan. 31, 2026 at Joe Debely Stadium (in Turlock), and celebrated nationwide,” he said.

Bernardi revealed that over the past decade, the foundation has been able to give more than $550,000 back to non-profits in their local community.

This year will be extra special as the run will take place on Kayla’s actual birthday. She would have turned 31, which would have been her golden birthday, defined as the year you reach the number of your actual birthday – turning 31 on Jan. 31. The Bernardis have created a special way to honor Kayla this year.   

“We are launching a Thousand Wishes campaign in honor of her golden birthday,” Joe said.  “We will be giving away 31, $1000 grants to local non-profits and community groups on run day!”  

Last year’s event raised $70,000 for charities and Bernardi hopes to set a new record again this year. He noted that the produce community has continued to be a great supporter as many of his customers and industry colleagues help to sponsor each year with dollars and giveaways. He added that industry members also helped to turn it into a national and even international event. “During COVID, we had to turn it into a virtual event and we had entrants from all over the world with participants sharing photos wearing the Bee Positive shirt as they ran wherever they were,” Bernardi said.

While the charity run has helped Joe and Cathie Bernardi and their two sons put a more positive spin on the passing of Kayla, Joe said the way Kayla lived her life was what really changed his life for the better. Kayla was born with Down Syndrome on Jan. 31, 1995, and endured a life that included many challenges and surgeries before ultimately succumbing to leukemia at the age of 20. 

The “Bee Positive” message embodies the way she lived her challenging life, always looking on the bright side.