BITE SIZED SUPPLY CHAIN/LOGISTICS INFORMATION Info SNACKS PURPLE REIGN The Philippines cannot keep
up with America’s ube habit. The purple yam has risen 230% on U.S. restaurant menus over four years, according to Datassential. It logged millions of posts on TikTok after Starbucks added ube drinks to its lineup in 2025. In the Philippines,
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Uber Eats added more than 1,500 Ulta Beauty locations to its marketplace, putting skincare on the same delivery infrastructure as dinner. The expansion makes products from more than 600 beauty brands available for same-day delivery nationwide. It is the latest move in Uber Eats’ push beyond food into beauty, electronics, and home improvement.
domestic production has fallen to 12,483 metric tons, down from more than 15,000 in 2021. The crop is threatened by climate change and takes 11 months to grow.
CreateMe launched the first commercially available digitally bonded t-shirt. The garment was made in the United States via a robotic assembly system. It features microadhesives instead of thread in order to eliminate sewing and work within the robots’ capabilities. The shirts are produced with Supima cotton through a partnership with UNTUCKit, with plans to scale to 50,000 shirts per year by Q3. THREAD BARE
50% of new warehouses in developed markets will be “human-optional” by 2030. Advances in AI work ows and human labor market constraints will drive the shift. -Gartner
About one third of the world’s traded fertilizer moves through the Strait of Hormuz. Since February, trac through the strait has fallen from 130 vessels daily to single digits, and urea prices have jumped roughly 50%. China, a major supplier outside the region, held its exports for months before resuming them at higher prices. Farmers who cut fertilizer application during spring planting will see lower yields at harvest, and food prices are already moving in anticipation. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations expects the eects to extend into 2027. SPREAD THIN
Warehouse vacancy in Milwaukee fell 100 basis points between Q1 2025 and Q1 2026, while inventory grew 3.7%, according to Moody’s. This is in direct opposition to the softening trend at major West Coast ports. Taris have shifted where goods enter the country, propping up markets positioned along northern and southern land corridors rather than at traditional coastal gateways. THE MIDWEST WINDOW
July 2026 • Inbound Logistics 1
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