The Peru grape harvest is just about done for the year and suppliers are preparing for their final shipments into the US. According to Andre Fattore of TerraSur Imports, harvesting will conclude in one to two weeks, with the last arrivals into the US expected by the middle of March. Most varieties have finished for the year and the last shipments will predominantly be comprised of Red Globe grapes. Overall, it's been a good year for Peruvian imports, with numbers up on last year.
"Over the next three to four weeks, we will be receiving our last Peruvian imports for the season, after which Chile will start shipping heavier volumes," Fattore shared. "When compared with last year, this season's volume has been larger, with 43 - 44 million boxes compared to 35 - 36 million last year. El Niño conditions had a significant effect on last year's crop, especially in the north. This year however, we have experienced overall very good growing conditions. The North of Peru is still recovering in terms of quality, but the Ica region in the south has produced some excellent quality grapes this year."
Red Globe still has a market
Red Globe is the only seeded grape variety available now for the broader US market, with many growers now having turned to seedless. For Peruvian grape importers, they see this as an opportunity and note that there will always be a market for the Red Globe.
"Red Globe saw very good demand, especially during January," Fattore explained. "This is because for the most part, California has cut a lot of them out, which this year resulted in a gap. Although many growers are turning to seedless, Red Globe is still in demand and will always have a place in the market."
New US office
TerraSur Imports are an arm of Pedregal, a major Peruvian grower and shipper of grapes and other fruit. This is the first year the company has had an office in the US, deciding that marketing their own fruit in North America was the best way forward. Fattore said the company has the exclusive growing license in Peru for the Timpson variety, which is a green seedless grape.
"We are the only company who can market the Timpson out of Peru," he said. "So this variety is our main focus, although we also have a number of other grapes, namely seedless varieties like Magenta, Allison, Jack Salute, Cotton Candy, Sweet Sapphire, Sugraone and others. This is the first year we are marketing our own grapes in North America after opening a distribution center in New Jersey."
The company mainly distributes their grapes in pouch bags and clamshells in different sizes depending of the customer’s preference. Fattore concluded by reflecting on the successful but challenging Peruvian import season. "The Peruvian season had a lot of challenges, mainly because California finished very late. Most of the fruit in November and December was exported to the Far East and into Europe and therefore in the end we had a good season."
For more information:
Andre Fattore
TerraSur Imports, Inc.
Ph: +1 (609) 721-0624
[email protected]
www.elpedregalsa.com