Grapeco expects late Sonora season

Grapeco Farms, founded by industry veterans Jared Lane and Robert Cadena, delivers top-quality grapes year-round thanks to strategic investments and partnerships in Mexico, California and South America. This ensures a consistent and dependable supply 365 days a year.

Mexican grapes are one of the strongest production areas for the Delano, CA-based company.

“They normally start in early May and go through mid-July; that’s the Sonora Mexican season,” Lane said. “There’s been some cool weather down there, so the timing this season looks to be a little bit later than normal, though everything can change.”

The crop size also looks to be down from normal levels, but Lane said that doesn’t mean they can’t promote.
“Even with the crop being late and kind of compressed, even though it’s smaller in size, we will need promotions from June 1 through July 1,” he said. “Last year saw about 20 million boxes out of Sonora. Being late and smaller, we need to make sure we have the right promotions and keep the fruit moving.”

He explained they keep some fruit domestically in Mexico and also export some grapes to South America, and the tariffs could be a big game changer for grapes this season.

“Tariffs are weighing heavily on us; if there’s a tariff, it’s not going to be a fun season,” Lane said. “That’s the biggest talk going on today. It does concern growers, retailers, distributors and everything in between. It’s a grey area right now and no one really knows the effect it will have.”

There have been a lot of changes in the Mexican grape industry in recent years, especially in varieties and production.

“Some people in Sonora are growing and some are shrinking, it really all depends on the supplier,” Lane said. “Here at Grapeco, we’ve been planting newer, higher-flavor varieties over the last 6-10 years, so our fruit is very well sought after from Mexico.”

For Grapeco, which are owner/operators in Mexico controlling its own fruit, the Mexican grape season is the most important season for the company.

“We have some of the newest varieties that have been produced,” Lane said. “We have quite a bit of new red varieties (like Berry Snap and Bebop) and early and mid-season varieties, and grow and transition into the Great Green at the end.”

Among its other varieties are Passion Fire, Candy Snaps, Sweet Celebration, Jack’s Salute and Timco, and green seedless varieties like Early Sweet, Sugar Drop and Sugar Crisp.

“It’s our belief that Bebop will be the best tasting red grape that you’ll have in the Mexican grape season,” Lane said. “We also have a new variety of early green, Honey Pop, that we will have our second-year production of.”

Aside from the tariffs, the timing is the biggest challenge right now, as Lane wishes the company could begin picking in early May. The quality of labor has also been a consistent issue in Mexico since the beginning.

“We make sure all the culture practices are done right to produce the best piece of fruit we can,” Lane said.

Grapeco’s customer base includes wholesalers, foodservice and large chain stores, with the majority of grapes going to retail.

“We’re continuing to plan and continuing to grow more fruit,” Lane said. “We want to plant the best eating varieties we have.”