California Grapes business updates
Bari Produce brings on Sal Pacheco
Bari Produce LLC, Madera, Calif., has added a salesman and some new grape varieties, said president Justin Bedwell.
Sal Pacheco, most recently with Fresno, Calif.-based Devine Organics LLC, has joined the firm’s sales staff.
The company has added the Ivory variety, an early green grape also known as Sheegene-21; the Krissy, a large, red, oblong grape that is available during August; and the Magenta, an extra-large red seedless variety that comes on in early September, Bedwell said.
Commission plans TV, print ads
Fifteen- and 30-second versions of the Fresno-based California Table Grape Commission’s “Generations” television commercials, and the 30-second version of “Family Dinner” will appear through December on the Food Network and the Cooking Channel, Alyson Dias, the commission’s director of advertising and digital media, said in a news release.
The commercials also will be used for pre-roll advertising on websites.
Print ads are planned in Food Network Magazine in July/August, September, October, November and December; and in Canadian Living in September and October and in Chatelaine in July/August and September/October.
Chuck Olsen adds 15% more volume
The Chuck Olsen Co., Visalia, Calif., has added some table grape varieties and will increase its volume by about 15%, said president Jeff Olsen.
The company now offers autumn king, Ivory, Magenta and Allison varieties as well as some older varieties, such as crimsons, scarlet royal, flame seedless and red globe.
Columbine hires three salesmen
Columbine Vineyards, Delano, Calif., has three new salesmen.
Erasmo Marin, most recently with Eagle Eye Grape Guys, Visalia, Calif.; Michael Hatcher, most recently with Farmers Fresh Fruit Co. LP, Reedley, Calif,; and Oliver Sill from Delano Farms Co., Delano, Calif., now are on company’s sales staff, president Martin Caratan said in a news release.
Dulcich boosts cold storage area
Jakov P. Dulcich & Sons, Delano, Calif., is adding cold storage that will hold half a million boxes of grapes and has a new packing line coming in, said Nick Dulcich, owner and director of sales.
The company also has become a licensee of Bakersfield, Calif.-based Sun World International LLC and has added the Autumn Crisp, Adora Seedless and Midnight Beauty varieties.
In 2018, the firm will add the Scarlotta variety.
Anthony Stetson and Ryan Debuskey, most recently with Columbine Vineyards, Delano, Calif., have joined the firm’s sales staff.
Fruit Royale sees 20% jump
Fruit Royale Inc., Delano, Calif., will have a 20% increase in volume this year compared to last year, said Louie Galvan, managing partner.
The increase is the result of some new plantings and acquisition of acreage, he said.
The company expected to begin its season with flame seedless grapes July 3.
This is the first year Fruit Royale will have commercial production of the red seedless Magenta variety, Galvan said.
The company will ship more scarlet royals starting in early August and more autumn kings in early September.
HMC set for new harvest
A number of new vineyards are coming into production this season for HMC Farms, Kingsburg, Calif., said Steve Kenfield, vice president of value-added.
The company has abandoned some varieties like crimson and thompson and moved into new ones, like Allison, Ivory and Great Green.
Jasmine expands storage capacity
Jasmine Vineyards is increasing its cold storage capacity by 60,000 square feet, said Jon Zaninovich, vice president.
The company is adding six cold rooms, each of which will accommodate 100,000 cartons of grapes, he said. At least four of the rooms should be ready in time for the coming season.
Jasmine Vineyards also did some replanting during the off season and will offer some new varieties.
In early July, the firm will launch the Summer Crunch, which Zaninovich said is a large, green, elongated grape that doesn’t shatter. The company will start harvesting the Great Green variety in September.
King Fresh offers new varieties
King Fresh Produce LLC, Dinuba, Calif., has some varieties coming into production this season and will have a 15% increase in acreage from its existing growers, said owner Keith Wilson.
The company has added the Valley Pearl, a large, flavorful, early-season grape with good flavor, as well as Allison, a late-season red grape, and Magenta, a mid-season red variety, Wilson said.
At the same time, the company is pulling out red globes and crimsons.
Pandol Bros. now in new building
Pandol Bros. Inc., Delano, Calif., has built an 11,312-square-foot office next to its cold storage/packing facility in the Delano/McFarland area, said Cheri Diebel, president and CEO.
About 40 employees will work in the new building, which will house sales, marketing, accounting and administration employees. The new facility is about seven miles south of the old office, which served the Pandol organization for more than 60 years, she said.
Sandrini begins five-year program
Sandrini Sales Inc., Delano, Calif., is planning a five-year program that will pull out some older grape varieties, like thompsons, and replace them with newer varieties, said sales manager Ralph Casciaro.
The firm already has planted some of the Krissy variety and plans to add some Great Greens.
“There are a ton of new varieties that we need to look at,” Casciaro said.
He expected the company’s volume this season to be similar to or up slightly from last year’s.
Sun World boosts proprietary deal
Sun World International LLC, Bakersfield, Calif., has completed about 70% of an initial planting plan, with new volume of proprietary fall varieties coming online this year, said Natalie Erlendson, director of marketing.
The planting plan, which will be in full production by 2020, “aims to provide a balanced supply mix of all three colors of grapes from start to finish of the domestic grape season,” Erlendson said.
When it’s completed, 90% of Sun World’s production will be proprietary, she said.
This season, increased volume of Autumncrisp and Adora Seedless will double the late-season supply.
“These grapes, along with the company’s flagship Scarlotta Seedless, provide a full-scale, proprietary grape solution in all three colors for the fall,” she said.
Sundale adds cold storage
Sundale Vineyards, Tulare, Calif., is adding four cold storage rooms that will allow the company to hold 380,000 more boxes of table grapes, bringing its total capacity to 1.5 million boxes, said Sean Stockton, president.
The company can use the additional space, since it has increased its acreage and the amount of boxes it will sell this season by 15%, he said.
Sundale Vineyards also has expanded its solar capacity to handle the new storage areas and continues to add varieties, with Ivory, Timco, Magenta and Allison leading the way, Stockton said.
Top Brass hires salesman
Mike Torczon, most recently with Bakersfield, Calif.-based Stevco, has joined the sales staff of Top Brass Marketing Inc., Bakersfield, said president Brett Dixon.
The company is building an office “where we can bring our functional areas together in one building,” he said.
The office should be completed by August.
Visalia Produce boosts production
Visalia Produce Sales Inc., Kingsburg, Calif., has increased production of its sweet globe green seedless grapes this year and has added new varieties to its product line, said George Matoian, sales and marketing director.
The company has added two red varieties — Krissy, which comes on in late July, and Allison, available by early October.
