California's table grape country is witnessing a historically early bloom that has the industry gearing up for harvest weeks ahead of schedule.
With temperatures consistently hovering 10 to 15 degrees above average, early spring has turned to summer, pushing the grape cycle 14 to 16 days ahead of its typical pace, Pete Hronis, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Hronis Inc., told The Packer.
One of California's top table grape growers, Hronis Inc. farms about a dozen table grape varieties, including reds, greens, blacks and specialty varieties like candy grapes on more than 6,000 acres in Delano, Calif.
Hronis says this full assortment ensures its customers are supplied with grapes from the start of the season through the end of December.
“Normally we start harvest here around the first week of July, and now we're on track to be probably either the week of the 15th of June or the week of the 22nd,” says Hronis. “Obviously that can change a little bit if it cools down. And if it cools down, it can push that back a little bit. But we're so early that even if we get a little bit of cold weather, I don't see it pushing back to our normal start time. It's still going to be early.
“When the grapes are ready, they're going to want to come,” he adds.
Hronis says the summerlike weather has created a phenomenon in which even some late-season varieties are outpacing the early ones.
Across the border, Mexico's table grapes are also early.
“Mexico is just as early as we are,” he says. “The Mexico deal is going to start the first of May, instead of the middle of May or the 20th of May. So, it's all just been moved forward.”
But Hronis says he doesn't see an early and extended season for California and Mexico table grapes becoming the new norm.
“We've just had very abnormally high temperatures for California this year,” he says. “But this is really a good thing. We'll just have that many more California grapes already harvested and through the system. So, we see it as a win for everybody.”
Ready to Promote a Moneymaker
With California table grapes coming several weeks early this year, retailers should prepare to clear shelf space and get ready to promote.
“Get ready to have some big displays,” says Hronis. “We're going to move a lot of grapes.
“This is a good thing for retailers,” Hronis continues. “Retailers make more money on California grapes in the summer than any other item in their produce department. It's not the most sold. The most sold are bananas, but the most money made is from grapes.”
Hronis expects the retail opportunity to promote and sell California grapes for 27 to 28 weeks, versus the usual 25 weeks, will translate to strong rings at the register.
“Having more sales days of California grapes on their shelf is a win for them, because they sell more California grapes than they do other grapes other times of the year,” he says.
The even better news for retailers and consumers alike, says Hronis, is that crop quality looks solid and the surety of supply is set.
“This is really shaping up to be a terrific season,” he says. “The size of the crop looks great with lots and lots of promotable grapes coming. So, I'm recommending to my customers, we could probably have a great Labor Day push and even a Veterans Day push.”
Your next read: California's Cherry Season Shifts Into High Gear Weeks Ahead of Schedule
