Chuck Olsen Co. is in the grape business year-round
Chuck Olsen Co. is in the grape business year-round
With grape deals in Chile and Mexico as well as California, The Chuck Olsen Co. in Visalia, CA, is “for all intents and purposes” in the grape business year-round, according to Jeff Olsen, president.
During the Chilean season, “we bring in some product,” Olsen said. Then the company has a small grower deal in Sonora, Mexico.
In the San Joaquin Valley, the company has production in various districts from Arvin and Delano to Visalia.
In addition, “we buy and sell if we need to,” he said.
The start of the company’s San Joaquin Valley harvest will be a week or two earlier than usual, Olsen said. “Barring any major weather problems, we should start out strong with nice Flames around the first of July followed by a few Sugraones, then early Thompsons, Princess and Summer Royals around late July or early August.
The company has new plantings coming into production, but “anything new for us will be the latter part” of the season, he said. “We’ve got a pretty good [acreage] of Sweet Scarlets that are new for us.” Those will start probably around mid-August. Also, “we’ve got another 40 acres” of Scarlet Royals which are in fourth leaf and will provide “a little increase in volume.”
Olsen anticipates a “nice transition” from Mexico and California’s Coachella Valley to the San Joaquin Valley. Fruit has been moving well in both Mexico and Coachella, and “quality is good,” he said May 29. “It doesn’t feel like we are going to have a big glut of fruit” during the transition, with districts overlapping one another.
“Prices today in Mexico have strengthened,” and Mexico is going to be “a little lighter in volume” than growers had anticipated, he said.
Considering the way the economy has been, “it is amazing” that fruit is moving so well and prices have been good. “We have been very lucky to sustain some of the prices that we have,” Olsen said.
But there are concerns. “We are taking it day by day with our water situation. We are all very concerned about that,” he said. The Olsen Co. does have wells that will meet this year’s water needs. But “it is a little scary for next year” if the drought in California continues.
