"We have had a very good start to the plum season, with a balanced supply/demand ratio and very consistent prices," explains Alexandre Cancel, chairman of Vergers Cancel. The first part of the season was good until August 15th, when sales slowed down. "We are more than two weeks in, with a slight slowdown from August 15th. Although this is a trend that we have seen for years - the last two weeks of August are historically quieter - we feel it more than usual this year."
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An increase in export sales in September?
At the moment, the plum season is still in full swing, and all 4 colors - blue, yellow, red, and green - are still available. "We will finish the season in mid-October. We have good volumes and good quality. We hope that sales will pick up again in September. We had hoped that export sales would be more fluid this year, given the lack of production in Spain and Italy, but it has not really been the case so far. However, the situation may change at the end of the season, which could open other doors for us and generate other flows."
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White seedless Arra: A very satisfactory first year of production
For grapes, the white Arra 30, a seedless variety, opened the season on August 15th, about one week ahead of schedule. "We have embarked on a program to develop seedless Arra grapes in 3 colors: white, pink, and red. This is the first year of production for our vines, and the volumes are starting to look good. We are very satisfied with this first harvest. Our grapes have a very high sugar content and beautiful coloring. The quality is superb, and we have a very good feeling about the market for this variety. Up until now, we were in the testing phase, but we are now moving into the development phase."
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Chasselas de Moissac: Early ripening, high sugar content, and good color
Chasselas de Moissac, the variety that continues to dominate at Vergers Cancel, arrived on the market early as well, on August 18th. This promises to be a year of high-quality grapes. "We have a normal harvest in terms of volume, but the quality is very high. The Chasselas is already very colorful - a level of color that we normally achieve mid-September - which is very positive for sales, and the bunches are very healthy thanks to the weather that has been ideal for grape development. As far as sales are concerned, the Chasselas grapes arrived a little early, but they are now well established on the shelves."
Throughout the season, the varieties will follow one another, so that consumers can be offered a permanent range of grapes from August 15th until the end of October. "The aim will be to juggle the different varieties, both new and traditional, so that there is no break in this segment."
For more information:
Alexandre Cancel
Vergers Cancel
1 rue de l'Occitanie
ZA Barres 82100 Castelsarrasin
Phone: +33(0)5 63 04 82 13
[email protected]
https://www.vergers-cancel.fr/