Late April is the month of transitioning the grape supply to North America. "Chilean imports will take us through most of April into May," says Keith Wilson, owner of King Fresh Produce LLC
Meanwhile, the Jalisco district of Mexico started its grape production this month, which makes for a comfortable overlap between the two growing regions. The other producing regions in Mexico will begin in the second or third week of May, and the timing of this season looks to be similar to the past few seasons.
Tighter green grape supply
"The crop looks good in Mexico," says Wilson. "Green grapes may be in shorter supply, though they will be promotable, and the quality looks good so far on all colors of Mexican grapes."
On varieties, Wilson says King Fresh will have an increased supply of Flames, Sweet Celebrations, Sweet Globes, and Jacks Salute.
© King Fresh Produce
As for demand, there is a bit of "waiting and seeing" going on. "Everyone is waiting to see what happens with tariffs and how they will impact fresh produce, specifically, grapes," he says. "If tariffs reach 25 percent, retail prices will rise."
Peru and Chile supply
Looking back on the import season, demand was good for Peruvian grapes until the first week of February. That's when both Peru and Chile were shipping fruit, backing up supply. "We are now seeing decent demand on grapes, especially on good quality grapes," says Wilson.
He does note that the consumption of grapes has increased with the newer varieties, particularly green grape varieties, driving it. "We've seen the market go from heavy red grape consumption, taking up 60 percent of the market with green grapes at 35 percent and black grapes five percent. Now it's shifting back to heavy green grape demand via a 60-35-5 split," he says.
Meanwhile, all of this has left pricing lower than last year at this time on imported grapes, meaning supply is promotable now. Wilson adds that a successful run for the Mexican season largely depends on what happens with tariffs, harvest times, and fruit quality.
For more information:
Keith Wilson
King Fresh Produce LLC
Tel: +1 (559) 596-2040
keith@kingfresh.com
www.kingfresh.com