The Portuguese grape season has come to an early end, says Susana Ferreira, commercial and marketing director of Portuguese grape exporter Vale da Rosa: "Overall, this was a good grape season, with a high demand for the product. At the same time, it was a very short season in duration. This was the first time we have finished the season before the end of November."
As Vale da Rosa is reconverting some of its acreage for new varieties, the production volumes of the grape exporter dropped this year, Ferreira explains. "In terms of volume, we had already foreseen a reduction compared to last year. This is mainly because we are in a process of reconverting 150 hectares of old vineyards for varieties that are more interesting to us, such as AutumnCrisp, Sweet Celebration and others. Therefore, this year has been a little gap in the process of increasing our projected production volume over the next five years, to more than 7000 tons of table grapes per year."
Ferreira states that the export volumes of grapes from the company has actually seen a major growth compared to previous years, as Vale da Rosa has reached new markets: "Despite the reduction in production from our vineyards, our export business has experienced remarkable growth, increasing from 30% in 2023 to 45% in 2024. This growth is due to the addition of new clients in markets such as Ireland, Germany, and, to a lesser extent, Spain. Additionally, we've continued to grow existing trade relationships in key markets, like the United Kingdom and the Netherlands."
A lack of grapes from other origins has caused demand for the Portuguese table grapes to be high during the entire season, Ferreira acknowledges. "This year, demand has been constant throughout the season, not only with the usual peak in the beginning of September, but also in the beginning of the summer and at the end of October we've noticed a lack of supply from other origins, which has apparently increased the demand for Portuguese table grapes."
According to Ferreira, after years of hard work the brand of Vale da Rosa is now recognized as a premium one, which can be seen in the higher sales price of the grapes: "Our philosophy is to harvest grapes with the best characteristics of each variety, this has led us to be recognized as a producer that focuses more on quality than quantity. This reflects in the positioning of the brand in supermarkets, where Vale da Rosa always has a higher retail price but ends up being recognized as a differentiated product."
Vale da Rosa exhibited during Fruit Attraction, where it presented new packaging, allowing the table grapes to be carried as a snack. "We presented a new packaging format in Madrid, which received very good feedback from our current customers and everyone who visited us at Fruit Attraction. Developed from a format already tested on the Horeca channel, this is a new pick & go concept, based on a paper cup packaging of 100 grams of carefully selected Vale da Rosa grapes. A healthy, easily transportable snacking option, perfect for the whole family at different times of consumption. Whether during a school break, at the gym or on a break between work meetings, the new 3x100 gram packaging focuses on a pick & go concept, with practical and easily transportable packaging," Ferreira concludes.
For more information:
Susana Ferreira
Vale de Rosa
Tel: +351 932 271 253
Email: [email protected]
www.valedarosa.com