It has been “a different type of year” in the grape business in California, said Jeff Olsen, vice president of The Chuck Olsen Co. in Visalia, CA, Aug. 5. “Even though we did have a later start, things are moving well, and I hope they continue to do so. I would hope that the later part of the deal should finish up fairly strong.”

A lighter-than-normal supply of California grapes available in the market during the first part of summer, coupled with strong demand, has resulted in “a demand-exceeds-supply situation for the last month or so,” Louie Galvan, a partner in Delano, CA-based Fruit Royale Inc., said Aug. 5.

Grapes have been moving well at good prices, “so the coolers have been staying relatively clean” without the inventory buildup that can occur by early August some years. So from a grower and marketer standpoint, “everything so far has been ideal,” he said.

“Our expansion on the facility out here continues,” said Sean Stockton, president of Sundale Sales Inc. in Tulare, CA, Aug. 5.

Currently under construction was a new house pack facility along with an expansion of the company’s cold storage which would “add another 150,000 boxes of cold storage space” as well as new pre-coolers, Mr. Stockton said. “All that will be up and running by sometime around the first of September,” according to projections.

Sunview Marketing International in McFarland, CA, is the exclusive marketing agent for Sunview Vineyards of California Inc. “Over sixty years ago, Marko Zaninovich established Sunview’s roots,” stated the company’s web site. “Today Sunview is one of California’s largest family-owned and operated table grape vineyards.”

“We farm table grapes” in the San Joaquin Valley from the southern end of the valley up through Bakersfield and Delano to the Ducor area, Scott Boyajian, director of sales, said.

Every year, Castle Rock Vineyards in Delano, CA, increases production of its proprietary late-season red seedless grape variety, the Castle Rock Red. “Each year we have a little more volume with that, and this year we should have tremendous opportunity for distribution,” said Jim Llano, sales manager.

“We’ll see that in early September” this year, he said. Typically, the variety starts in late August, but as with most other grape varieties in the San Joaquin Valley this year, the Castle Rock Red is running later than normal.

FRESNO, CA — “We gear up heavy for the fall fruit deal,” said Atomic Torosian, a managing partner at Crown Jewels Produce Co., here. The company offers a wide assortment of California-grown fruit throughout the season, with a particularly diverse line-up of commodities from late summer through fall.

Grapes are a major part of the program, Mr. Torosian said Aug. 5. “We are still harvesting Flames at the moment, but we will [soon] transition into Crimson grapes” as well as various other red seedless varieties such as Sweet Scarlet, Scarlet Royal and Vintage Red.