Sundale’s major focus for late season is on the Autumn King
Sundale’s major focus for late season is on the Autumn King
As “one of the largest growers in the [San Joaquin] Valley of Autumn Kings, that variety of green seedless table grape “is going to be a staple for us on the back end of the season,” said Sean Stockton, president of Sundale Sales Inc. in Tulare, CA.
According to the company website, “Sundale Sales was established in 2006 with a partnership between the Kinosian family [owners of Sundale Vineyards] and Sean Stockton. The company has quickly become an industry leader in premium quality and volume. A significant portion of our growth has been in new varieties: Autumn Kings, Scarlet Royals and our trademarked Sundale Red.”
As Sundale has enjoyed a steady growth in table grape volume over the last few years, the company has undertaken substantial facility expansions along the way to keep pace.
Stockton said he expects Sundale to see 20 percent growth in volume this year over last year. That growth will come across several varieties over different time periods throughout the season, but an increase in Autumn Kings is a substantial part of that growth.
“We have grown significantly in Autumn Kings,” Stockton said. “Our growth for the company has been pretty evenly dispersed between early and late to enhance our overall operation. We continue to grow heavily in the fall, but we have had just as heavy growth in the front part of the season to match up with that [late season] growth.”
The company did not increase its Sundale Red acreage for this year, Stockton said. However, there are plans to plant more after this season.
From September on, “our largest focus is on our Autumn Kings,” he said. The large size of the grape, its good shelf life and the fact that it can be harvested late in the season are all factors contributing to its success.
On the packing side, Sundale’s house pack facility “is in full swing,” Stockton said. The volume of bi-color and tri-color packs put up in the facility “continues to increase as we target more of that business.”
