Sun World International LLC, a global fruit genetics and licensing company, has granted six additional licenses to Egyptian table grape grower/marketers, bringing the total Egyptian licensees to seven. Two new Italian table grape grower/marketers have also been appointed as part of the company’s strategy to extend its reach in these high-potential gateway markets, bringing the total Italian licensees to 10.

Despite some reports and statements about Jalisco table grape production being oddly irregular regarding quality and production, Carlos Bon, sales manager of Divine Flavor, said, “That is not the case whatsoever in our operations.”

“I’m very glad about the coming season,” Carlos Bon Jr., vice president of sales for Divine Flavor, said of the Mexican grape deal. “We’ll have great quality and great-flavored grapes.”

Sonoran production is expected to run late this year, but Bon said his firm won’t ship before the time is right. “We’re not named ‘Divine Early’.  We are ‘Divine Flavor,’ and we are very excited about our strong investment in new varieties.”

“Right now, the only thing for sure is there is a lot of uncertainty,” Miguel (Miky) Suarez said at the end of March, about two months before the managing partner and sales manager of Nogales’ MAS Melons & Grapes LLC expected Sonora table grape growers to begin shipping promotable volumes of grapes.

His input from Sonoran growers brought mixed signals, but one consistent message is that it won’t be a full crop of Sonoran grapes this spring.

The good news, according to Scott Rossi, is that “we really anticipate it will be a great market for Sonora district grapes” this spring. “There should be great demand to fill pipelines” created by shortages of late Chilean grapes.

“May will be a difficult month for U.S. retailers, and we’ll be ready to put out heavy volume in June,” said Rossi, who is the sales manager of Fresh Farms LLC.

In recent years, Grupo Molina plunged forward in developing its Mexican table grape business by extending its Sonoran vineyard operations southward to the state of Jalisco.

IFG, a top fruit-breeding and licensing company widely recognized for inventing the Cotton Candy and Sweet Globe grapes, has reached an exciting milestone as the company celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.