As Grupo Alta celebrates its 25th anniversary, the present looks great and the future looks even brighter.

Speaking with The Produce News on April 2 was Carlos Bon Jr., a Grupo Alta partner. Grupo Alta is based in Hermosillo, Sonora, and its marketing arm, Divine Flavor, LLC, operates from a brand new distribution center in Nogales. Divine Flavor also has sales offices in San Diego, CA, and McAllen, TX.

Bon said its packaging for grapes — and several other fresh produce offerings — will bear logos commemorating the 25th anniversary. The firm was founded by Alan Aguirre I., Enrique Camou and the late Carlos Bon, Sr.

Bon, Jr. is very pleased with Grupo Alta’s upcoming grape crop. He said the firm will be greatly expanding its offerings for the 2016 grape season.

In a Grupo Alta table grape vineyard in Hermosillo in May 2014 is Carlos Bon, a Grupo Alta partner. Grupo Alta is based in Hermosillo, Sonora, and its marketing arm, Divine Flavor, LLC.“The growing season looks like a vintage, normal Mexican season,” Bon said of the 2015 Mexican grape deal, “except for the Sugraone crop, which looks a little on the low side.”

“What is normal is starting in the second week of May,” he continued. “On the seventh or eighth we will start our first greens [green grapes] from Hermosillo. Five days later, we will have our first reds.”

Bon said his firm’s bunch quality is “very good.” Counting bunches is one measure of a grape crop, he noted. But what is more important “is the quality of the bunch itself. If a bunch has ‘big primary shoulders’ it will be quality fruit.”

Bon indicated, “We are past the thinning stage. Things look great! I am talking about the industry and not just our company. The bunch quality and fruit quality are great this year. We are more than 100 percent confident.”

Mexico produces “a lot of grapes in a short period of time. When you are not on ad (with retailers) it will be tough.” But, he added, “The growers have done a good job” as an industry in promoting Mexican grapes with advance promotions.

While Divine Flavor is known for marketing new, patented grape varieties, Bon said there is also a focus on producing flavorful standard varieties. This comes with cultural practices wherein “you treat them right and where patience is key.”

“Demand has grown so much with our customers, as we have more and more varieties in the ground.” Some new varieties are planted and new plantings are destined Mexican soils in coming months.

Among the coming new grapes are Sun World grape varieties, grown 100 percent organically.

Coming from the IFG breeding group, “Sweet Sapphire,” an elongated black variety marketed by The Grapery as a “Witch’s Finger,” will become available from Grupo Alta this spring.

Grupo Alta’s acreage is up 30 percent this year “and it will be a very exciting year next year. Stuff we have planted this year will start to produce next year. We will be selling more and more new varieties and we will have a lot of new early varieties.” The newer varieties will have “better flavor, better size and be early enough to give customers a better eating and looking grape for their shelves than what’s currently available.”

Bon added that Divine Flavor is moving its organic grape label from “Heaven’s Best” to “Divine Flavor Organics.”