The 2015-16 California table grape season is well underway with the crop estimated at 113.3 million 19-pound boxes, a harvest slightly larger than that of 2014. Harvesting began early in both the Coachella and San Joaquin valleys and shipments of green, red and black, seeded and seedless grapes are making their way to export markets around the world. Over 80 varieties of fresh grapes are produced in California.
A priority for the California Table Grape Commission (commission) is to create demand for the crop in export markets. Commission promotional programs begin in May and run into February and target modern retail chains in 25 key export markets. The core promotion work focuses on the trade and on motivating volume movement into each market followed by high impact promotion activities at point of purchase. In-store promotional activities include special grape displays, point-of-purchase materials, chef demonstrations, contests, radio and newspaper advertising, and in-store sampling.
In-store sampling in a store in Thailand
In the 2014-15 season, the California table grape industry shipped 44.5 million 19-pound boxes of fresh California grapes to markets around the world. The top volume export markets included Canada at 11.4 million 19-pound boxes, followed by Mexico at 5.7 million and China/Hong Kong at 5.5 million. Just over 40 percent of the total crop volume was exported.
Contact information:
Susan Day
California Table Grape Commission
Tel: (+1) 559-447-8350