GrapeCo Farms continues to make its presence felt in the competitive grape category. 

Formed just over three years ago by longtime California grape industry veterans Jared Lane and Robert Cadena, the company continues to catch the attention of retailers and consumers by offering a year-round supply of high-flavor tri-color varieties to merchants. 

The result has been a steady increase in sales, not to mention awareness, throughout the trade and a quite a bit of confidence within the company, with about a dozen full-time employees, which recently moved its main office to Shaster, CA. 

“Everyone at our company is really excited about the direction we are moving,” said Lane. “We really believe that our business model is perfect. It is one that strictly emphasizes quality over quantity and making sure that all of our customers have consistent access to high-quality, high-flavor grapes 52 weeks a year. Offering volume is great, but it means nothing if we do not offer flavor and quality too.

“Together Robert and I have been in this industry for more than 40 years and we have learned what it takes to make things work correctly,” Lane continued. “The most important thing is satisfying our customers and making sure they have the right grapes in their stores to give their consumers the right selection. The goal is to build and maintain relationships with our customers.”

To accomplish all of that, GrapeCo Farms is working with farms from California to Mexico and in Peru and Chile in South America to ensure a steady flow of product. “That is very important to our strategy,” Lane added. “We want to make sure that the supply is never interrupted and, as importantly, we obtain the best quality available. We think our current customers see that and we think that new customers will quicky understand what we can do to help them build sales in the grape business for years to come.”

The owners’ vast experience plays a big role in this as well. “We have been around for a very long time, and we have learned a lot about what makes the grape business work,” Lane said, who added the company is starting to dabble in cherries and stone fruits as well. “The key is paying attention to detail and, more importantly, knowing the fruit.”

Success also comes from working with retailers to offer the right promotions and right color grapes at the correct time. “Communication with our customers is vital,” he said. “It is a big part of building the trust between our team and their team and getting them to work with us to help them build whatever is the right amount of grapes for them. 

“For example, some of these retailers want more red, green or black grapes at certain times of the year. We know the fruit and we know the market. Our job is to help them figure that out on a weekly basis so they reach their sales and profit goals and give their shoppers exactly what they need.”

Lane said that the harvest is under way in both Chile and Peru and, so far, it looks as if the quality and quantity of product will be better than last year’s yield. He also noted that farmers in Peru have been increasing their commitment to the grape category, creating a competition between the two countries that should be good for retailers and consumers in the U.S. 

“Our plan is to keep growing at a consistent pace,” he said. “We always want to pick up more volume and more customers and we are utilizing all sources, including word of mouth and industry events, to make people aware of what we are doing and what our standards are. We are very proud of what we have done so far. We plan on keeping it going.”