Last season, Tudor Ranch Inc. in Mecca, CA, added the sales team of Vincent B. Zaninovich & Sons to the longtime relationship it has held with Unifrutti of America Inc. It worked so well that the same model will be used this year.

George Tudor, one of the co-owners of the family-run operation, said the idea was to give the Tudor labels more potential buyers. He explained that the Coachella Valley grape deal dovetails perfectly with Philadelphia-based Unifrutti’s major presence in the Chilean deal. It lets those salespeople continue the relationship with the buyers that it established months before. At the same time, the relationship with VBZ, which is headquartered in Richgrove, CA, allows those salesmen to get a jump on their San Joaquin Valley season, which typically starts after Coachella Valley concludes in early July.

This year, both sales groups have to gear up a bit earlier than usual. “The timing is earlier than last year,” said Tudor. “Last year we started on May 1 and this year we expect to have fruit on April 29 or the 30th. The crop, as a whole, looks very good. Especially the Flames. They have been better quality than last year. The Sugraones look nice too.”

This year Tudor Ranch expects to have more red grapes, as several vineyards that were transitioned to Summer Royals and Scarlet Royals a couple of years ago will have more production this year.

Tudor said the Summer Royals will give an extra boost to grower’s red grape volume in the first part of the deal, while Scarlet Royals will play that same role in the later part of the deal.

Tudor said that the updating of varieties is an ongoing calculation that has older, less-productive vineyards being replaced, often with newer varieties. He said that the Coachella Valley’s growing conditions — a relatively short season with most of the grapes harvested in about a six-week period — only allows a limited number of varieties to thrive. Growers are always looking for the next best thing, but their options are limited.

Tudor Ranch will offer bulk boxes as well as stand-up pouch bags for its customers. It also will pack in clamshells, which are typically a club store pack. “We are very optimistic about this season,” he said. “The vines look as healthy as they have ever been.”

Tudor Ranch traces its beginning to George Tudor’s grandfather, Vladimir, who immigrated to the United States in the late 1930s and began growing grapes in the San Bernardino area of California. Vladimir and his son, Vladimer, started the Coachella Valley vineyards in the 1950s and were eventually joined by Vladimir’s brother, Marion. Today, the company remains in the Tudor family with the third generation mainly in control, though Marion is still an active participant. George said the fourth generation is still in school and too young to know for sure which of that group will join the family operation.