Latest News From Grapes

The world of table grapes has expanded exponentially from traditional red and green varieties to today’s plethora of cultivars with appearance, flavor and size characteristics.

Good-quality spring table grapes now are arriving from Mexico’s Jalisco growing area, and U.S. grape shipments from California’s Coachella Valley should get started in May.

Sun World International LLC says unauthorized individuals falsely claimed association with the company and promoted fraudulent services under the guise of providing technical support for Autumncrisp grapes.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency updated its labeling requirements for the use of sulfur dioxide gas on fresh grapes during storage and transport, according to a USDA report.

The company says it expects strong imports of Autumncrisp and Ruby Rush grapes for the season that will begin in mid-May.

The companies have joined with leading Mexican growers to provide 4 million cases of table grapes during May and early June, which is traditionally the lowest volume period of the year.

The California Table Grape Commission and the California Fresh Fruit Association recently honored Anthony Vineyards co-founder Domenick “Cookie” Bianco.

Sun World International LLC says Italian courts ruled in favor of the company in four recent infringement lawsuits against unlicensed growers who unlawfully produced and sold Sun World grape varieties.

With robust supplies of Chilean grapes headed for the U.S., “it’s looking like mid-March through April will be a great time for retailers to promote Chilean grapes,” says Ignacio Caballero of Frutas de Chile.

Licensed table grape growers from 14 countries took part in the symposium, which focused on global planting plans, local agronomy support, quality assurance, retail relations and an overview of global marketing plans.

Sean Sundberg, business integration manager for John Deere, shares how a collaboration with Sonoma County Winegrowers on the “vineyard of the future” project will benefit other specialty crop growers.

La Escuela de Asociados, which is Spanish for the School of Associates, is a key component of Grupo Alta's recruitment process when new workers from the southern states of Mexico migrate north for employment.

In remarks to the USDA and the California Department of Food and Agriculture, incoming commission president Ian LeMay encouraged promotions to extend access to markets.

Fresh Farms says it is also developing creative marketing solutions to help its retail customers maximize their return on investment.

The Bakersfield, Calif.-based licensing company highlighted the green seedless grape variety during the specialty foods industry event.

With the new partnership, Oppy will expand its year-round reach in Peru, Brazil, Chile, South America and Mexico with Sun Grape’s nearly 1,500 acres in production in California.

Drought is a significant long-term challenge for Chilean fruit producers, but there has been some relief in the past year, a new USDA report on the country’s economic outlook says.

The company’s new biofungicide, Mevalone, is now available to treat bunch rot and powdery mildew in California.

Bloom Fresh International Ltd., responsible for table grape varieties such as Cotton Candy and Sweet Globe, will license its protected plant varieties to Chinese growers.

Counties and municipalities can apply for grant funds to help defray prevention and population reduction activities on private and public lands.

Treasury Wine Estates deployed smart irrigation valves to help manage and automate water usage on 90 acres of its vineyards.

Peruvian grape exports in the 2023-24 marketing year will increase by 2%, according to a new USDA report.

“Climate change and the El Niño phenomenon are putting agriculture in Chile and the world to the test,” said Iván Marambio, president of Frutas de Chile.

With the 2023-24 Chilean table grape season starting in November, Chilean grape importers from across the U.S. are urgently requesting the U.S. authorities to accelerate the authorization of a systems approach.

Chilean table grape production will jump by nearly 15% in the 2023-24 marketing year, a new report from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service says.

Bloom Fresh, a premium fruit-breeding company specializing in table grapes, cherries and raisins, says it's taking proactive measures to safeguard table grape production as El Niño threatens vineyards across the globe.

Sun World International recently took to New York City to officially debut its Autumncrisp brand grapes’ global consumer marketing campaign.

Led by newer varieties, Chilean table grape production for the 2023-24 season will grow 5%, according to an industry estimate.

The global grape market is experiencing shifts due to a series of unexpected weather events in key growing regions.

Sun World International is set to host an experiential sampling station for its Autumncrisp brand grapes at The Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival presented by Capital One, Oct. 13-15.

Bloom Fresh unveiled its new corporate identity and reaffirmed its commitment to breeding table grapes and cherry varieties in 24 countries at Fruit Attraction Madrid 2023.

Peruvian grapes have taken an increasingly important role in the late-year U.S. grape supply.

August through November represent a prime time for California grapes.

Sunview Marketing International is headed into a time of the year when the marketer will be going strong on several of its proprietary brands, says Mitch Wetzel, vice president of sales.

Rains from Hurricane Hilary caused variable damage to the fresh grape vineyards of Bari Produce LLC, says Justin Bedwell, president of the Fresno, Calif.-based marketer.

“It is not an overstatement to say that this program changed the table grape industry and the world of table grape breeding,” said Ross Jones, California Table Grape Commission senior vice president.

The newly patented table grape varietal, known as IFG Forty-one, is expected to extend Candy Snaps' availability in retail stores for several more weeks during the early-to-midsummer season.

With the organic muscadine grape program, Happy Dirt and one of the company’s North Carolina farmer-partners are working to build awareness around the grape’s unique flavors, adaptability and health benefits.

“The revised estimate for the California crop is 71.9 million 19-pound boxes,” said California Table Grape Commission President Kathleen Nave. “The last time the crop was under 75 million boxes was 1994.”

California-based Sun World International is seeking to transform the table grape category through its global marketing campaign for the Autumncrisp green seedless table grape brand.

The California grower is harvesting heritage organic grapes as well as Thomcord and Kyoho varieties from July until October.

Bakersfield, Calif.-based International Fruit Genetics, LLC (IFG), has announced that a plant variety right infringement case in Yunnan, China has concluded in IFG’s favor.

Sun World is launching a new red grape brand named Ruby Rush and reports growers from the U.S., Italy, Spain and Israel are harvesting the new variety this July.

Bakersfield, Calif.-based International Fruit Genetics LLC will soon be acquired by an ag innovation group based in Spain, according to a news release.

Together, five regions are expected to produce 20% more than Oppy harvested in 2022 as more acreage comes online, the company said.

Along with Mountain View Fruit Sales expanding its table grape portfolio, owner Mike Thurlow is projecting 2023 to be a vintage grape season.

The new laboratory is part of the Bakersfield, Calif.-based table grape breeder’s $19 million IFG Discovery Center Campus that is slated to open in spring 2024.

“Nature really dealt us a tough hand and we are navigating through it the best way possible. Despite the rocky start, prices will adjust to comfortable levels over the next days or so,” says Carlos Bon.

The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2023 survey indicated 52% of consumers said they purchased fresh grapes in the past year, with consumers in the Midwest reporting the highest level of fresh grape consumption.

Facing pressure from Peru in the U.S. market, Chilean grape exports to the U.S. market are projected to fall nearly 9% in the 2022-23 season.