The Peruvian grape harvest is underway and the first vessels are already on their way to the UK and European markets. Boris Manz from UK importer Fruit Growers Alianza has been out in Peru to see how the harvest is progressing.
"Last week I went to Peru to see how the season was running. I have to say that the fruit is looking very nice this season, with amazing size and very good eating quality. As nights had been slightly cooler, the colour in reds is very nice this year. We had a very good spring and summer which has been ideal for grapes. We started one week later than expected with the first departures to Europe and the UK by week 43."
The volumes are coming in as forecasted, continued Boris. Starting with SugarCrips and Allison, and now AutumCrisp, SweetGlobe, Jack Salute, Sweet Favors, Midnight Beauty.
"We are already 30-35% ahead in the harvest. We are seeing a higher concentration of the crop in the last week, therefore we might be finishing 1-2 weeks earlier compared a normal year. One factor that is bringing some challenges at the moment is the lack of rains in certain areas of the southern part of Ecuador, which is bringing some uncertainty in terms of irrigation to some growers if the situation doesn't change. We are working very close to our partners Purafruit & Defrusa to minimise any supply risk to our customers, and working hand to hand with all retailers to make sure they get the most updated information about the harvest and export situation in the area."
FGA have already had their first arrivals to Europe and UK, and according to Boris customers are very satisfied with the quality they are getting.
"Northern Hemisphere supply has been lighter in then last few weeks, making the transition much more relevant and creating a very strong demand in Europe and UK in the last few weeks. The production from Piura comes in a very strategic period for our customers as it lands in the middle of the transition between Northern and Southern Hemisphere seasons.
"The situation in the US has helped, compared with the last season were they lost a relevant volume due to weather conditions. This season the domestic Californian product is still on shelfs and we are now seeing that supermarkets have started to consider the transition. We will be getting more pressure week after week, and certainly December will be a very good period in terms of demand in the US.
"The UK and EU markets are looking very healthy at the moment, with a sense of shortage of fruit and a high demand. This situation should continue for the next 5-6 weeks when we start seeing relevant volumes arriving from South Africa, who are having their own challenges as they had last year."
For more information:
Boris Manz
Fruit Growers Alianza
[email protected]