Gaps likely during spring grape production’s transition

The transition between Southern Hemisphere and Northern Hemisphere grape harvest could leave a gap in green grape supplies, shippers say.

“Mexico is late on harvest and most Chilean volumes will have arrived by mid-April,” said Rob Anderholt, West Coast division manager for Seald Sweet, Bakersfield, Calif. 

Most green grapes from the Southern Hemisphere will be out of the system by mid-April, leaving a sizeable supply gap in those varieties, he said.

“…  The condition of Chilean arrivals over the next few weeks on red grapes will tell us how late into May we can stretch our supplies. We are currently seeing May as being undersupplied on grapes,” Anderholt said.

The Southern Hemisphere season will end much earlier this year and a gap is expected between the end of Southern and beginning of Northern hemisphere supply, said David Clyde, vice president of sales and marketing for Illume Agriculture, Bakersfield, Calif.

 “We should have a strong demand to start the season.”

Through late March, season-to-date U.S. imports of Chilean grapes were down 19% for the 2020-21 crop.

There should an active market during the transition, said Jeff Olsen, president of Visalia, Calif.-based Chuck Olsen Co.

“Green grapes in Chile were hit with some heavy rains in the heart of their season, which is causing issues upon arrival and having to repack grapes, which is never good on the fruit,” he said.