California organic grapes on tap for September promotions

As California organic table grape growers size up their fall varieties, they are expecting good supplies that will result in improved retail promotional opportunities moving into September.

John Harley, sales manager for Anthony Vineyards in Bakersfield, California, said there should be more organic red options than green as summer turns to fall and is anticipating good promotional opportunities through September and well into October. Harley added organic table grapes from California will be available through Thanksgiving. There will most likely be a gap in December prior to the importation of organic grapes from Peru. 

Grape innovations in California and Chile

As always, Chile will be a major exporter of grapes through the winter. There is a possibility some Chilean organic grapes will be marketed in the United States, but if that happens it will only be in very limited volumes. For the first time, growers in specific Chilean districts will have the opportunity to utilize “a systems approach” rather than fumigation to assure that their grapes are free from pests. Harley said this should eventually lead to organic grapes from that country making their way to the U.S. market. “But I expect it will be two or three years before we see any volume at all,” he said.

Turning his attention to the current organic grape situation in California this summer and fall, the longtime Anthony Vineyards representative said yields have been lower than expected on both green and red varieties throughout July and August. “Volumes on the early varieties are shorter than we anticipated,” he said, putting the reduction at about 8-10% per acre. “We are hoping that as we move into the fall varieties, we will get better yields.”

He added that the early indications are that there is good sugar content, and both bunch and berry size have improved on the later maturing varieties. In analyzing the reduced yields, Harley said there are at least a couple contributing factors. In the first place, there were some extreme heat days in the San Joaquin Valley this summer that can always impact yields. In addition, he said most of the varieties now being grown can be classified as “new” varieties and growers are still learning their characteristics, best growing practices and how they react to climatic conditions. It can take years of observation with varying weather and growing conditions to figure those things out. 

Of course, the new varieties have all been trialed for many years with their attributes touted enthusiastically by the breeders. But he said how they react in game time conditions is a different ball game.

Green grape demand surges

Harley said the second half of the 2024 California grape season should be far better than 2023. In late August 2023, the remnants of Hurricane Hilary ended up dumping up to four inches of rain in valley vineyards in locations where it is considered an absolute fact that there is no rain in the summer. The result was lots of damage and much less volume for the rest of the season.

So far the 2024 summer season has been interesting in that demand for organic green grapes has been excellent. In fact, green grapes are outpacing demand for red grapes, which is typically not the case. Harley opined that some of the newer green varieties “are very, very good with excellent flavor. They are harvested and shipped fresh and we have seen a significant increase year-over-year in demand.”

Combined with slightly lower supplies, the FOB market price on organic table grapes has been higher than is usually the case, which is great for growers but not as conducive for big summer retail grape promotions. 

“Another abnormal year”

Craig Morris, category director, citrus & grapes at Homegrown Organic Farms in Porterville, California, characterized this season “as another abnormal year” but agreed that September should be a great month for retail promotions.

He explained that high temperatures impacted the early green and red varieties differently. “The green varieties were one to two weeks early because of the heat while the red varieties were later than usual because they had trouble making color,” he said.

That caused an unbalanced portfolio between red and green grapes, which is not what the retail buyers like to see. Speaking on August 27, Morris anticipated that imbalance would right itself within a week or so leading to good promotional opportunities on both colors in September. 

Morris said the FOB price is rising and promotable volumes of organic grapes probably won’t last into October. He noted California will have organic grapes of both colors into mid-November but the season could end a week or two earlier than normal.

Overall, Morris opined that it has been a pretty good season for the grower community, largely because volumes were off a bit. “We’ve seen a very solid market all season which has given a much-needed boost to the system,” he said, remembering that overall the growers have not seen healthy returns the last couple of years.