This season, Columbine Vineyards plans to feature its proprietary grape, the Milano, in its own branded stand-up bag. Marketing Representative Lauren Olcott said the green seedless grape is characterized by large bunches and crunchy, flavorful berries. The Milano is marketed from mid- to late summer.

The new Petit Bag is another innovation at Columbine Vineyards. “This bag uses the same graphics and style of our everyday eco-friendly bag, but is reduced in size to hold one to 1.25 pounds of grapes,” she told The Produce News.Anthony Stetson, sales manager at Columbine Vineyards. “Last year, we tested the packaging in different regions throughout the U.S. and in Asia. Columbine received positive feedback from the buyers and, as a result, we’ll be expanding the Petit Bag in all PLUs for the upcoming season.”

The family owned and operated company has been a table grape grower, packer and shipper since 1926.

Fifteen varieties of red, black and green grapes are grown and marketed to the company’s customer base, comprised of retailers, wholesalers, international customers and buying brokers. A small percentage of Columbine’s grape volume is sold to foodservice.

Olcott said Columbine is currently harvesting grapes in the central San Joaquin Valley. “The quality this year is excellent,” she said. “Great berry size with a sweet flavor profile. Our mid-season varieties start in mid-September and go through the end of November. During this time frame our proprietary varieties, the Holiday and Milano grapes, are available.”

A new state-of-the-art cold storage facility is now operational for Columbine Vineyards. “The new facility measures in at 204,200 square feet, roughly 3.5 times the size of an American football field, and can store 750,000 boxes of produce when full,” said Olcott.

Grapes are marketed under the “Columbine” and “MC” labels to domestic customers. “We have several export labels that are used depending on the destination,” Olcott added.

The company continues to monitor California’s water situation. “Water has been a difficult issue for many farmers and growers in our area, and we are currently taking action to receive more water by drilling new wells and expanding on existing ones” said Sales Manager Anthony Stetson.