Posts Tagged “Mexican grape shipments”
Long time major grower-shipper of Mexican tomatoes and vegetables, Delta Fresh, is adding table grape shipments to its wide ranging list of vegetables.
Delta Fresh, based in Nogales, AZ for the first time this spring will be shipping grapes from the Sonoran production areas of Guaymas, Hermosillo and Caborca. Delta Fresh is working with an existing grower.
Delta Fresh reports in the past it didn’t have the right infrastructure and team to be in the grape business. However, with the firm’s modern, already huge Nogales warehouse facilities, have expanded and the sales and food safety staffing has grown to accommodate the new business.
This spring Delta Fresh is also expanding its line with watermelons, cantaloupes and asparagus. Asparagus shipping was underway in March. The melon season began in late April.
Mexican table grape growers expect 2023 grape shipments to be slightly more than last season.
Most Mexican grape shipments normally occur from mid-May through mid-July. Loadings last year were particularly strong results due to lower volumes of early season cherriesin the U.S.
At a recent meeting, Mexico’s Sonora table grape growers association (AALPUM) estimated 21.7 million boxes for the 2023 season, with just over half in green grapes. That would be up 1.3 percent over last year’s 21.4 million boxes.
Producers report a sharp drop in red globe varieties, a variety that has been falling out of favor for some time.
Decreased volumes of summer fruit in the U.S. — due to prolonged bad weather in California — also could help create demand this season for Mexican grapes.
Fresh Farms of Rio Rico, AZ who also grows produce in Mexico is increasing its grape volume by one million cartons this year.
The grower/shipper has a wide range of fruits and vegetables with year-round availability. The firm also produces conventional and organic produce.
The company is growing its grape volume both in Jalisco and Sonora.
Jalisco volume will start in late March with a green grape harvest. Total Mexican grape volume for the company should be nearly 6.5 million cartons in 2023, up about a million cartons from a year ago.
Most of that volume is in newer varieties, such as Cotton Candy, Candy Snaps, Candy Hears, Candy Dreams, Sweet Globes, Sapphires and more.
Fresh Farms also has soft and hard squashes, green peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, corn, watermelon and other items.
The company is growing its melons category dramatically due to increasing demand.
For all of its commodities the operation is seeking to expand availability. Last year the company shipped over 12 million boxes of produce, up from about 2.8 million boxes in 2009.
A slower-than-expected start due to the Mexican table grape season is occurring due to weather conditions which have slowed the ripening process.
A local Sonora based grape growers association reports parts of the region have yet to see the warmer days needed to properly harvest the grapes.
Table grapes from Mexico usually begin shipping in early May. However, nights have been cold, days have not been very warm, and this means that the grape ripening is delayed along with their harvest.
A harvest for the region of up to 29 million boxes is higher than the 25 million boxes officially projected by the Mexican table grape growers association.
Mexico’s industry has been expanding its portfolio of varieties planted, and thus extending the season and leveling off traditional peaks of the harvest in June. This season’s harvest comes at a time when freight costs and logistics into the main receiving market of the U.S., have added uncertainty for growers.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Pacific Trellis Fruit, the year-round importer, grower, marketer, and owner of the Dulcinea® Brand, is gearing up for a successful Mexican table grape season. Since the company’s inception in the grape industry in 1999, they have experienced year-over-year volume growth for its conventional and organic varieties.
“The crop out of Mexico this year is up nearly 20%, which relates to around 25.5 million boxes,” says Earl McMenamin, Senior Sales Executive. “Pacific Trellis’ 2 million boxes of volume this year will account for around 20 high-flavor varieties which will begin packing the second week of May.”
The company’s robust line-up for the Mexican season consists of conventional and organic red, green, black, and specialty varieties. Pacific Trellis’ specialty grapes kick off the last week of May with Tawny Red, a red seedless variety cross between a Red Globe and Flame. Tawny Red is a large, round berry with great crunch and skin color that varies between dark red and crimson. The Tawny variety is followed closely by Sweet Celebration and Sweet Globe, two high-flavor berries, which begin the first week of June. Pacific Trellis’ grape program is rounded out with organic red and green varieties, which will start in May, with all colors ready for shelves the first week of July.
“Our Mexican grape season has a tremendous advantage as it provides non-interrupted service and a bridge from the import season right into California production,” comments McMenamin. “Our team prides itself on smooth varietal transitions for our customers.”
Pacific Trellis’ entire Mexican table grape production filters through their primary warehouse in Nogales, Arizona. From Nogales, inventory is shipped to secondary warehouses in southern New Jersey and the Central Valley of California. All three centers have customer fulfillment abilities, giving Pacific Trellis reliable national distribution. This season’s grapes will be packed under the renowned Dulcinea® brand, with various bag and clamshell options for retail partners.
Learn more about Pacific Trellis Fruit by visiting their website https://www.pacifictrellisfruit.com/.
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About Pacific Trellis Fruit
Pacific Trellis Fruit is one of North America’s top year-round growers and importers of premium fresh fruit, including melons, grapes, peaches, plums, nectarines, citrus, and cherries. It partners with growers in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Peru, Spain, and Uruguay, as well as domestic farmers across the United States.
Its corporate headquarters is in Los Angeles, CA, with sales offices in Fresno, CA, Gloucester, NJ, and Tucson, AZ. Pacific Trellis owns and manages the renowned Dulcinea® brand. Dulcinea® is the pioneer of the Pureheart personal seedless melons as well as the Tuscan Style Cantaloupe, and Pacific Trellis has recently expanded the brand to pack grapes, citrus, and cherries. In 2020, Pacific Trellis fruit became the exclusive marketer and distributor of the KISS line of melons./
Mexican grape shipments for 2022 should reach a new high, surpassing 25 million boxes, a 19.5 percent increase compared to last year, according to the Mexican Table Grapes Growers Association (AALPUM).
In a press confernce, the AALPUM president Marco Antonio Camou, AALPUM and the Fresh Produce Association of Americas (FPAA) reported what is expected for Mexican table grapes.
The largest volume is red seedless varieties at 46.9 percent, followed by white seedless varieties at 41.08 percent, then black seedless varieties at 5.97 percent and cotton candy at 4.70 percent.
The first harvest is expected for the beginning of May, with picking accelerating from May 15th onward. The early season should produce some 7.4 million boxes through May, followed by peak season with 16.59 million boxes in June. Finally the late season, in July, should produce around 1.45 million boxes of table grapes.
The season is expected to extend longer this year, past the U.S. independence day of July 4th into the middle of that month.
It was noted growers have been working with the planted crop to reduce the peak experienced in the past in May and June, and instead offer a more steady constant supply of the fruit.
Also, there are some expectations due to the delayed arrival of Chilean grapes, there will be some overlap between the stock of the two countries.
Shipping will continue from Nogales, AZ and other forward distribution points until mid‐July.
In addition to cotton candy, there are several hundred thousand boxes of exotic flavored varieties. In this estimate these varieties are included in their respective color group.
Mexican table grapes are crossing the border at Nogales, AZ in light volume, starting with Early Sweets, Perlettes and other early green varieties. Flames and a dozen other varieties of all colors will follow shortly.
The Sonora Grape Growers Association issued an original crop estimate of 21.5 million cartons March 30 and this estimate is still though to be good.
That estimate forecasted the second week of May at just under 400,000 cartons and the first week of June at about 4,000,000. That’s a 10-fold increase in 3 weeks.
The Sonora Grape Growers Association (AALPUM) projects 21.5 million 18 lb. (8.2 kg) cartons to be packed and shipped between early May and mid-July, 2021.
AALPUM association president Marcos Camou, AALPUM general manager Juan Laborin and Fresh Produce Association of the Americas grape division chairman John Pandol recently presented the crop estimate via Zoom. This estimate is 2% less than the 2020 harvest and 11% less than the 2019 crop.
The largest volume is white seedless varieties at 44%, followed by red seedless varieties at 43%, then black seedless varieties at 7% and then ‘other’ 6%, which includes Red Globes and specialty varieties like Cotton Candy. Sonora is the only growing area supplying North America that produces a majority of green seedless. Between 3 and 5% of the grape crop is certified organic.
The harvest season is subdivided into four section
Preseason 10% everything prior to May 15 including other early areas.
Early Season 16% May 16-30 .
Peak Season 53% May 31 – June 20
Late Season 21% post June 21 into July
Shipping will continue from Nogales and other forward distribution points will continue until mid-July.
The estimate had a new look that reflects changes in the industry. Not long ago 80% of the volume was three varieties. Today 40% is over a two dozen newer proprietary varieties. “To give a rundown of individual varieties, each with beginning and end of harvest date for each growing area is no longer a useful description of the crop” , said FPAA grape division chairman John Pandol. “The purpose of giving an estimate is so our supply chain partners; operational service providers, government agencies and commercial partners can prepare”
A late winter freeze is being blamed for what is expected to be a double digit drop in Mexican grape shipments this season.
Total volume in 2020 likely will be down about 20 percent from a year earlier — 19.7 million cartons, compared to 23.7 million in 2019.
Just about all varieties will be down in 2020t. The forecast calls for 800,000 boxes of perlettes versus 1.7 million in 2019; 8.7 million red seedless in 2020 versus 10.8 million in 2019; mid-green, 4.2 million in 2020 versus 5.1 million in 2019; red globe, 300,000 in 2020 versus 307,000 in 2019; and black, 1.5 million in 2020 versus 1.9 million in 2019.
The exceptions, with larger volumes seen this year over last, were early primes, at 2.8 million boxes versus 2.6 million in 2019; and “others”, 1.5 million versus 1.2 million in 2019.
Pandol Bros. Inc. of Dinuba, CA reports a good winter and a freeze, which had an impact on total production.
The freeze was particularly hard on the early season perlettes.
Fresh Farms of Nogales, AZ reports the first grapes shipped out of Jalisco in early April, with Sonora grapes starting to ship in early May, which would be normal.
The Oppenheimer Group of Vancouver, British Columbia was planning an early May start, which would be earlier than a year ago,
The is expecting to have good volume this season despite the expected smaller crop.
A 20 percent crash in Mexican grape shipments are predicted this season.
The 2020 estimate for Mexican grapes is 19.7 million 19-pound boxes, about 3.9 million boxes down (20 percent) from a year ago of 23.6 million boxes. That crop, however, was significantly higher than the 2018 production of 16.37 million boxes, so forecasters are saying there will still be good volume.
Mexican grape shipments to the U.S. will start in mid-May, lasting into early July. The season is expected to start earlier than in 2019, with the red Flame seedless being in good volume from late May to late June. Mid-season green grapes loadings will be in good volume from early June to early July, while black seedless best movement is expected from late May to late June.
Green perlette grape volume is hit hard by a freeze and 2020 volume is predicted at 800,000 boxes, less than half of the 1.7 million box output last season.
Early-season Mexican grape volume is expected to be about 2.8 million boxes, up slightly from 2.6 million boxes a year ago.
Red seedless loadings for 2020 is forecast at 8.65 million boxes, off 19 percent from last year’s total of 10.7 million boxes;
Mid-season green variety output is estimated at 4.15 million boxes, down 18 percent from 5.08 million boxes a year ago;
Red globe production is 300,000 boxes, down from 306,000 boxes last year;
Black seedless is forecast at 1.5 million boxes, down 22 percent from 1.92 million boxes in 2019; and
Other grape varieties are forecast at 1.5 million boxes, up slightly from 1.2 million boxes last year.