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Illume Agriculture is in charge of the Bagdasarian grape deal, having taken over the management of vineyards formerly owned by Bagdasarian Farms, which has sold its farming assets to a private equity group.

With Mexican grapes from Hermosillo and Caborca in Mexico, King Fresh will show peak volume by June 7, said Keith Wilson, president of the Dinuba, Calif.-based company.

The Oppenheimer Group has a strong presence with Mexican grapes grown in the Hermosillo region and will offer a full complement of table grapes packed in the Ocean Spray and Oppy labels.

Mexico’s early grape outlook will be light in early May, with peak volume expected from early June to mid-July, said Rob Anderholt, West Coast division manager for Seald Sweet, Bakersfield, Calif.

Giumarra’s Mexican spring grape deal will feature bigger volume and similar timing compared with last season, according to Tom Wilson, sales manager for Los Angeles-based Giumarra Cos.

Hungenberg Produce Inc. has a big crop of fresh carrots coming for this fall, said Jordan Hungenberg, CEO of the Greeley, Colo.-based company.

Like many produce companies, Rice Fruit’s staff felt the unprecedented challenge and stress to daily life that came with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chilean grape production should see a big rebound in the 2021-22 marketing year, according to a new estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service.

Chilean cherry shipments to the U.S. began the last week of October and will ramp up and continue into February, said Karen Brux, managing director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association.

A review of U.S. imports of Chilean produce reveals 2020-21 strong increases for blueberries, strawberries, apples, kiwifruit, plums and peaches.