Organic Grape Gap Expected through April

There are very few, if any, organic fresh table grapes on the market, and the lack of supplies will remain through April. Availability will increase with production from both Mexico and the Coachella Valley in May, with aggressive ad promotions in June and beyond.

John Hartley of Anthony Vineyards said a gap this time of year is normal as organic grapes from Peru finished in early March. Organic table grape production will begin in Coachella Valley around May 15, similar to the timing expected from the Hermosillo grape-growing region in Mexico.

“Our organic grapes are the first ones to come off,” Hartley said. “Right now, we are looking at starting between the 15th and 20th, which is normal but a few days earlier than last year.”

The Anthony Vineyards veteran said that volume will rise quickly, with promotable volumes available shortly after Memorial Day. About 60 percent of the company’s Coachella Valley acreage is certified organic, and Anthony’s Vineyard has added many of the newer varieties to its desert production, helping it to stretch out the season.

“Right now, we are looking at starting between the 15th and 20th, which is normal but a few days earlier than last year.” – John Hartley

“We should have production through the month of July from the desert and then will transition to the San Joaquin Valley with no gap,” Hartley said.

Moving forward, Hartley said organic production will represent an even greater percentage of the firm’s output and a continuation of promotional opportunities as organic table grape production out of Mexico is projected to be record breaking this year.

Additional scrutiny of organic Mexican table grapes coming into the US last year to prevent mislabeling of fruit by outlier packers is expected to be the case again this year, Hartley said.

The major importers of Mexican organic grapes are legitimate, he said, and they should have a good crop this year as all grape growing regions above and below the border are reporting excellent sets with good bunch counts. Coachella lost some grape acreage this year, but Hartley is expecting the existing grower-packers to make up that volume with good yields.

Moving forward, Hartley said organic production will represent an even greater percentage of the firm’s output and a continuation of promotional opportunities as organic table grape production out of Mexico is projected to be record breaking this year.

Carlos Bon, vice president of sales for Divine Flavor, the largest grower-packer-exporter of organic table grapes grown in Mexico, said the company will begin shipping organic table grapes in mid-May.

Carlos Bon, Vice President of Sales, Divine Flavor

“There should be promotable supplies of both organic and conventional grapes right around Memorial Day,” Bon said.

The Divine Flavor executive said the 2022 table grape season—at least at the front end when Mexico supplies dominate—appears to be very similar to 2019, when Mexico also had a big crop. He believes the key to moving this year’s early volume will be many promotions, especially throughout the month of June.

“There should be promotable supplies of both organic and conventional grapes right around Memorial Day.” – Carlos Bon

That assessment is expected to play out for both conventional and organic table grapes. Mexico’s total volume is expected to be up about 20 percent on most varieties, and organic production should increase by a similar percentage.

For this reason, Bon predicted that table grape prices will not follow the current inflationary pattern that has seen rising prices across the board—at least not at the FOB level. He did, however, add that rising freight rates may well increase the delivered price.

Speaking of organic prices, Hartley of Anthony Vineyards said the price being paid for organic table grapes has held firm at about 20-25 percent above conventional fruit, and he expects that to remain the same this year.

Bon predicted that table grape prices will not follow the current inflationary pattern that has seen rising prices across the board—at least not at the FOB level. He did, however, add that rising freight rates may well increase the delivered price.

Another supplier of organic table grapes is Fresh Farms, which is based in Arizona. The company has deep roots in the Mexican grape-growing district of Sonora and has also expanded its production over the years to Jalisco and California. David Watson, senior vice president of sales and marketing, said the company has a significant and growing supply of organic table grapes from both Sonora and California. Fresh Farms, he said, has 19 varieties of grapes and is growing almost all of them both conventionally and organically.

Scott Rossi, another member of the Fresh Farms team, said that while the company’s 2022 grape crop has already started to be harvested in Jalisco, its organic production will not begin until the second week of May when Sonora acreage joins the game. Fresh Farms' organic volume has been increasing each year, and it continues to climb as plantings of the newer varieties mature. Watson added that it is the new varieties that are fueling increases in grape consumption in both the organic and conventional categories.