Through spring and early summer, Simonian Fruit Co. keeps busy with an assortment of stone fruit, and from early July on into fall, the company also ships table grapes, including specialty Champagne grapes in red and green varieties.

But Simonian Fruit’s big fall item is pomegranates, according to Jeff Simonian, vice president of sales.

The company’s pomegranate season this year was expected to start around the first of September. Like most California crops, that is “a little earlier this year” than normal, he said. “Probably a week to two weeks earlier.”

A tray of ‘Simco’ label pomegranates from Simonian Fruit Co. (Photo courtesy of Simonian Fruit Co.)The first variety of the season is a proprietary variety called Urbanekgranate, Simonian said. Other early varieties are Smith and Early Wonderful. Those are followed by “the regular Wonderfuls” which will start around the first of October or “may be even the end of September this year. That is the most popular variety. That’s the variety a lot of guys wait for.”

Simonian Fruit will pack pomegranates from September to early November. “Then we will ship them into December and January, maybe even February or March depending on the year.”

The crop size this year will be close to normal or “maybe slightly down,” Simonian said. “There are a few factors that have affected the crop this year.” One is the warm winter, which “pushed up” the timing of the harvest. Also, water has been an issue as it has for many California crops. “There are farmers that have nut crops and pomegranates, and I have heard [some] are diverting their water” from pomegranates to nut crops. In addition, “there have been a lot of pullouts the last couple of years” because growers “have not made [much] money” on pomegranates “especially compared to the other crops grown in this area. Table grapes have done well, nut crops, citrus and so forth.” So “those are a few of the reasons” that the pomegranate crop may be a little lighter this year than usual.

At Simonian Fruit, “we are expecting [the pomegranates] to be good-sized fruit” this year, Simonian said Aug. 8. Color and quality also appeared to be good.

Although some growers have pulled out pomegranate orchards, “we would like to increase a little bit more, especially on the Wonderfuls. But it doesn’t look like we will,” Simonian said. About 70 percent of the fruit Simonian fruit packs is “our own,” and the other 30 percent is from outside growers. The company would like to increase its volume by expanding its grower base, but since growers seem to be pulling [pomegranates] out because they have not done as well as some of the other crops,” there is a “lack of availability of additional growers [and] we are not able to grow the volume that we would like.”

As for fall grapes, “we don’t have a big table grape deal,” Simonian said. The Champagne grapes will continue through September, and in addition “we have Thompsons, Crimsons and Autumn Royals. It looks like it is going to be a good quality year. We think the pricing is going to be good as well.”

The grapes “are early of course, like everything else. But it looks like it is going to be a good season,” he said.