Grapeco anticipates higher demand as San Joaquin Valley grape harvest kicks off
Grapeco anticipates higher demand as San Joaquin Valley grape harvest kicks off
The first grapes shipping from California’s San Joaquin Valley will see some overlap with the last of Mexico’s crop, but Grapeco Farms Co-owner Jared Lance said the high quality of both crops is a good sign for retail demand for the fruit from California.
Lane said Mexico’s harvest started several days later than normal, and that lag carried throughout the season. In late June, Grapeco was shipping fruit grown in Hermosillo and Caborca from Nogales, AZ, distribution facilities.
“San Joaquin (Valley) appears to be three or four days earlier than normal, so there’s a bit of an overlap,” Lane said the last week of June. “But there’s not a lot of fruit out there currently, and there isn’t an excess of fruit in Nogales from Mexico.
“Right now, what we’re harvesting in Mexico is the best product we’ve harvested all season,” he said. “Mexico’s season will wind down around July 15.”
San Joaquin Valley’s season starts out with ideal berry and bunch sizes.
“The Brix will come with a matter of time, and the size looks to be extremely good,” Lane said. “There was a very good bunch set, so we were able to very selective on the crop that we left. And I’m very happy with the quality.”
Lane said the waning supplies from Mexico and California’s southern-most production in the Coachella Valley led to higher retail prices before the start of production in the San Joaquin Valley’s southern edge in the Bakersfield/Arvin area.
“We need to get retail (prices) adjusted and we need to get fruit start moving through the system,” he said.
Grapeco’s San Joaquin Valley kicks off with small supplies of the Sugraone, Flame and Ivory varieties, with Krissy and Bebop following.
This is the first season Grapeco is offering Bebop, a seedless with large, oval berries and a deep pink-red skin, a crisp and firm texture and fruity flavor with a hint of sweetness. Bebop is a mid-season variety. In recent seasons,
Grapeco has also seen increases in shipments of Great Green and Sweet Globe varieties. Great Green is a mid to late-season variety with high fertility, and Sweet Globe is a seedless green that harvests in mid-season and stores well.
“We are excited to offer Bebop,” Lane said. “We have it down in Mexico, and it’s done extremely well, and I look forward to having it in California.”
Pulling productive vines to replace newer, more flavorful varieties is an expensive endeavor, Lane said, but more growers are doing so to meet growing demand by retailers and consumers.
“Obviously, grapes are a big investment to plant new,” he said. “But it’s what the industry needs to help drive consumption. The better the fruit eats, the more people will purchase it.”
The California grape season’s peak shipping lasts from August through October, but shipments of California grapes can store and ship through December. “Last year, fruit moved extremely well, and we’re hoping for the same this year,” Lane said.
