BAKERSFIELD, CA - The hallmark of an exceptional fresh produce department is the quality of its California table grape offerings as well as those from coveted regions across the globe. Each year, as the summer wraps up and the fall months get underway in the Northern Hemisphere, growers throughout the golden state raise the bar on this coveted category with companies like Giumarra Vineyards helping to lead the way in value, flavor, and differentiation.
“We continue to build a top-shelf catalogue of proprietary varieties from the ARRA crossbreeding program as well as specific selections from the other programs that we can basically offer to our customers out of Peru, Chile, Mexico, California, and beyond,” Mimi Corsaro, Vice President of Marketing and Director of Export Sales, shares with me. “We are very pleased with the results of our ongoing vineyard conversion on the Giumarra family ranches. Each year, we continue to take out less favorable or lighter producing varieties and plant higher-yielding and more flavorful proprietary varieties. This has completely changed our kick-off to the California season to open with large and sweet red and green varieties and has helped us gain marketing momentum with the consumer.”
Giumarra Vineyards opened its California season in July with strong demand for its ARRA Passion Fire®, Early Sweet™, Sugar Drop®, and Mystic Star® varieties. Then in August and September, which are traditionally difficult months due to the peak harvest of many varieties, the company observed brisk trading with ARRA Sweeties®, following the success of the Yummy Crunch™ and Sweet Globe™ varieties. Additionally, Muscato Amore® Sweet Scarlet continues to sell out weekly in Asia and is gaining noticeable popularity in the U.S.
“We will start moving into our late-season varieties later this month and will ship steadily through the end of December so we can make a smooth transition into our Peruvian program,” Mimi tells me. “We suspect that California grape volume will be tapering off a bit earlier than usual, but we will be monitoring the situation closely so we can help our customers make a seamless transition when the time is right; not too early and not too late. Our long-time grower partners in Peru and Chile have also made a significant investment in their plantings and are supplying us with a full line of proprietary varieties so that the end consumer can enjoy the same varieties from both the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere—we are truly giving our customers the sweetness of summer 365 days per year.”
Retailers can always feel supported with a team like Giumarra Vineyards’ innovating behind the scenes. The timing of Giumarra Vineyards’ new variety mix, coupled with its steady production rate has enabled the company to have low storage inventories so that the team can continuously supply customers with freshly harvested fruit. This is very important because there is no better grape than a fresh grape, as Mimi reflects!
“On the breeding side, our ARRA Grower Field Days went virtual this year, and while it was disappointing not to be able to spend time with our overseas friends and have them taste all of the exciting new flavors in the ARRA catalogue, we were able to convey important growing information and specifications, as well as provide 3D visuals of some of the most promising new varieties.” Mimi adds. “Those of us at the vineyards who were lucky enough to get to taste and evaluate the next wave of ARRA varietal selections are very excited for our future offerings.”
For more information on the ARRA varieties and opportunities as well as all of Giumarra programs, check out the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit Virtual Marketplace in October, where all these amazing advantages will be featured!
