California is welcoming a large table grape crop this season out of the San Joaquin Valley. "It's a beautiful crop this year," says Jim Beagle of Grapery. "The weather has been exceptional. We haven't had the extreme heat that we have had over many summers, so the vines and the crop have not been under stress from challenging weather. All of this has led to a big crop of high-quality fruit with very good yields."
While the official box estimate has not been released for the season, growers do say it's the largest crop of grapes that they have seen in quite some time and likely more than last year's 93.2 million boxes of table grapes.
The season also saw a start that was fairly close to historical timing. "There was some rockiness at the start of the season, transitioning from other growing regions because grape consumption has been down through the import season and leading into the California season," says Beagle. "That could be due to a variety of factors, so we're working closely with retailers to bring that back up to where we'd normally expect consumption to be. A high-quality crop helps with that more than anything."
© Grapery
Large summer fruit crops
He also adds that it's not just grape consumption in isolation, given that other summer fruit, such as cherries, have also seen a big crop of high-quality fruit. That has made choices plentiful for consumers when shopping.
That said, consumers are responding to the large, quality table grape crop. "Demand is picking up as we get into the traditionally highest quality time of year for consumers to buy grapes, which is the heart of the California season," says Beagle. "We're seeing movement and shipments where they need to be."
As for pricing, right now it's moderate. "We have a big crop to move and if consumption patterns stay high, that will keep prices at a fairly stable level, I think," he says.
For more information:
Jim Beagle
Grapery
Tel: +1-661-387-9300
[email protected]
www.grapery.biz