MADERA, CA - While California’s summer is coming to a close, the grape season is still swinging for Madera, CA-based Royal Madera Vineyards.
Matthew Cerniglia, Operations Manager, explained that overall the company is about halfway through the grape season, looking at a strong market with both demand and volume looking good.
“We are in load volume in greens and reds, and in about two weeks load volume on blacks,” Matt shares with me, adding that the company is just coming off of Labor Day orders that closed out in the last couple of weeks.
“Everything is still rocking and rolling,” Kirk Cerniglia, Sales Manager, says, adding that the company is currently gearing up for its second round of Crimson Seedless grapes, as well as getting into Autumn Royals, Autumn Kings, and Red Globes. “We still have a lot of work to be done but it’s good.”
The challenge this season, if any, Matt says would be labor, which continues to be a difficult matter. But Madera, as ever, strives to meet retail demand.
“We are focusing on promoted grapes at all times. When the retailers want to promote we always fulfill their wishes.”
Coming out of the Labor Day promotion period, Kirk tells me that while the work continues the next big holiday for grapes will be Thanksgiving.
“Halloween is not the big push but there definitely is some interest. Thanksgiving is where we’ll see the next big one,” Kirk says.
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