Divine Flavor, in collaboration with Niabell Farms, will expand its offerings of table grapes from California for the first time starting this July. The expansion into Bakersfield, California will bridge the gap between the end of the Mexican season and the start of the South American imports—fulfilling an essential window for Divine Flavor's year-round supply of premium table grapes.
"Thanks to this joint venture with Naibell Farms, we have found a solution to become a true year-round supplier in the table grape category," says Divine Flavor's senior VP of sales, Carlos Bon. "We have a footprint in the early, mid, and late parts of California with 100 percent proprietary varieties, focusing on the best flavor and the newer generation of table grapes."
Carlos Bon of Divine Flavor.
Divine Flavor currently produces grapes at its vineyards of Grupo Alta in Jalisco and Sonora, Mexico, which harvest from April to July. The company also has strategic grape-growing partnerships throughout Peru, Chile, and South Africa which supply the brand from November to April/May, but this will be the company's first branded grape supply from the United States.
"With our decision to grow grapes in California and partner with Niabell Farms, there is a shared vision to mirror the success seen in our vineyards across Mexico, Peru, and Chile, ensuring our customers can expect exceptional grape varieties throughout the entire year," says Bon.
Jon Williams, president and CEO of Niabell Farms, says the partnership with Divine Flavor has been a project in the making for several years. "We are ecstatic to begin this partnership with who we believe is a key player in the category," says Williams. "We know how important flavor and great eating grapes are to this industry and we are happy to be the partners who will help them continue supplying their customers with proprietary varieties."
L-R: Jimmy Yin, Jon Williams
The grower will begin packing for the Divine Flavor brand starting mid-July as the Sonora, Mexico season concludes.
Sonora, which is approximately halfway through its grape season, faced a challenging start as it competed with other fruit categories like cherries, berries, and stone fruit, along with late grape arrivals from Chile. Despite that, Mexican table grapes are now positioning themselves favorably as the Sonora grape deal moves into the mid to late weeks of June.
"It's been a challenging start to the Sonora season. However, we're excited for these next few weeks as this is when we start harvesting our specialty varieties," says Bon. "There will be a lot of focus these next few weeks on Sweet Celebration, Sweet Globe, and our dessert menu: Cotton Candy, Gummyberries, and Jellyberries."
Divine Flavor has one of the latest ranches in Caborca, Sonora, that will harvest its late candy varieties until the first weeks of July.
For more information:
Michael DuPuis
Divine Flavor
Tel: +1 (520) 281-8328
[email protected]
www.divineflavor.com