Market Minute: New grape volume looking good for promotion

Did you know that prehistoric grapes were discovered in fossils that reach back 66 million years ago — or that the actual domestication of grapes began 6,000 to 8,000 years ago between the Black Sea and Iran? The cultivated varieties were then initiated and spread by humans throughout the world.  

From all that history comes the most popular table grapes sold at retail today — Thompson seedless, Red Flame seedless and the Black Monukka seedless.

New crop grapes will be arriving in abundance from Mexico and California so start planning some big promotional ads and drive those grape sales with enthusiasm.

Grapes from California's Coachella Valley are in good demand on a steady market. The Mexican grape supply is showing a heavy demand on red seedless with a steady market.

Merchandising grapes should always be very aggressive. A display of two or three boxes will only result in a few sales so be more enthusiastic and build larger displays. Always place your grapes in a good visual location where customers can immediately spot them and make several purchases. The grape category will generate huge volume that will build up your sales and gross profit dollars rapidly. Use original boxes to build your displays and include false bottoms in order to make it appear massive and prevent shrink at the same time.

Plan some aggressive ads with your grape suppliers now. Abundant summer grape volume will start to roll in fast.

Ron Pelger is a produce industry adviser and industry writer. He can be contacted at 775/843-2394 or by e-mail at [email protected].