Oppy adds acreage to expand its grape program domestically
Oppy says it is adding grape acreage in California to bolster its Ocean Spray program.
Aiming to providing customers with a consistent and diverse grape supply, Oppy kicks off the San Joaquin Valley season from ranches in Wasco, McFarland, Pixley, Farmersville and Strathmore, according to a news release. Together, the five regions are expected to produce 20% more than Oppy harvested in 2022 as more acreage comes online, the company said.
“We are well poised to meet the increasing demand for high-quality grapes with both domestic and internationally grown fruit,” Oppy Senior Vice President of Categories and Marketing James Milne said in the release. “As the California industry compresses, Oppy ranches continue to grow alongside consumption. We’ve prepared for this transition, bringing Piers Hanbury onto our team last year.”
Building T&G’s export grape category in California a decade ago, Hanbury eventually oversaw its global grape program, leading supply to and from the U.S. including Peru, Chile, Australia, South Africa, Asia and Europe, according to the release. Hanbury’s expertise and strategic approach encompassed new variety licensing deals and breeding programs, the release said.
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“It is an honor to be a part of this team and leverage my expertise to build premium grape supply for North Americans — and it makes it much easier to do so in the best-in-class Ocean Spray brand alongside preferred licensed new varieties,” Hanbury, now Oppy’s director of category development, said in the release.
Candy Hearts is a new addition to Oppy’s conventional and organic line-up this year, which the company said is in response to evolving consumer preferences and driving innovation. All Ocean Spray grape varieties are available in clamshells and bags.
Oppy said it continues to integrate agricultural technology into its crops this season, using Bloomfield Robotics' proprietary FLASH camera to collect data, which is then processed through deep-learning artificial intelligence to forecast yield at the cluster level. Such insights are used to inform decision-making, enhance plant performance and promote overall crop health.
“We look towards a fantastic five-month season in California as we ensure stable year-round supply with our transition to Peru, Brazil, Chile, South Africa and Mexico,” Hanbury said.
Oppy added that it plans to participate in Sun World’s 2023 Field Days.
