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Awe Sum Organics begins second season with organic Peruvian grapes

Awe Sum Organics, a leading importer of organic apples and organic kiwifruit in North America, kicked off the second season of its exclusive organic Peruvian grape program.

The first organic green seedless Sugraones arrived in mid-November, and quality is said to be outstanding, according to a company press release. These grapes have been in development since early 2007 when David Posner, founder and chief executive officer of Awe Sum Organics, sought to create an organic grape program in the winter months to complement the domestic grape season.AweSum Sugraones David PosnDavid Posner

"The bunches of our organic Sugraones have a nice shape with large berries and are incredibly sweet, crisp and flavorful," Posner said in a press release.

With the vines in their second year of production, Awe Sum Organics expects to see a larger crop this season.

Nick Moless, program manager for Awe Sum Organics, said in the press release, "The greater supply will be welcomed, and allow us to reach more customers with this amazing product. However, demand is still projected to well outpace supply."

Awe Sum Organics plans to start shipping organic Red Crimson seedless grapes by mid-December. The harvest was underway in Peru in mid-November when Posner traveled to the vineyard to see the fruit in the field, the current harvest, and the fruit being packed in the new state-of-the art packing facility.

"Our Crimson Seedless have a beautiful color and also great flavor, with a smaller berry size than our Sugraones," Posner said in the press release, adding that the total volume of the Crimsons will be much more limited than the Sugraones, and the crop will have a shorter window.

The organic grape program will finish with organic seeded Red Globes, which start after the seedless varieties end around the first of the year. The Red Globes will boast the largest berry size of all three varieties, as well as exceptional color and eating quality. The organic Red Globes will be available in larger volumes than the organic Seedless Crimsons.

"Some customers expressed concern about their ability to sell organic seeded grapes," Moless said in the press release. "Many started by trying out a small volume. What they found was their customers bought them in similar volumes as the seedless varieties."

One of the aspects of the program that Awe Sum Organics is most proud of is the fact that it is Fair for Life-certified by IMO Switzerland, as is 100 percent of its organic grape production. Fair for Life certification guarantees fair wages, good working conditions and social responsibility at each and every stage of production and throughout the distribution chain.

Each Awe Sum Organics grape carton is an 18-pound minimum, containing 12 zipper bags.

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