As the final days of April approach, the last shipments of South American table grapes will hit the U.S., and grower-shipper Divine Flavor will shift its attention from Chile to its principal growing regions of Jalisco and Sonora, Mexico.
In recent years, April through May has emerged as a pivotal window for the company, with its Jalisco operation kicking off right as the Chilean season concludes with its final shipments. A consistent supply of fresh, high-quality premium varieties—like Autumncrisp®, Cotton Candy™, and Sweet Globe™ (all proprietary green seedless grapes)—has played a vital role in supporting a seamless transition for their North American retail partners.
Alan Aguirre Camou, inspecting Autumncrisp grapes.
"Grapes from Jalisco, Mexico give us more flexibility as we finish the South American import deal and before transitioning to the bulk of Mexico's traditional grape season in Sonora," says Alán Aguirre Jr., the chief marketing officer who established the brand and its marketing department that handles B2B/B2C efforts for the company. "In Chile, we have tremendous alliances. One grower in particular, Santa Elena, who helped us start our South American relations, finishes its season with great quality Autumncrisp."
Historically, red seedless exceeded green seedless demand, but slowly through the years, that has shifted. Now, most cases of greens double the demand of reds. Part of this is due to the popularity of the Autumncrisp variety, as well as Sweet Globe, Cotton Candy, among others.
Earlier in April, the Mexico Table Grapes Association (AALPUM) held its annual grape summit in which the committee announced around 23 million boxes for 2025 (about a 1.3 percent increase from 2024). There, it was reported that Sonora could see a delay on early-season varieties to start the season, but with volumes picking up in June.
"For the early varieties, the Sonoran grape season will see some delays on reds and a smaller crop of Flames than from previous years," says Aguirre Jr. "However, once we approach the mid-season part of the harvest, reds will bounce back with better volume, and we'll have plenty to promote in June. From 2024 to 2025, we are expected to have around an 18 percent increase from our Sonora program, especially on proprietary varieties."
Now, most cases of greens double the demand of reds.
Aguirre Jr. also notes that the company's marketing department has built consistency with a unique and personal approach through its grower summits and its Better Grower Program. These marketing initiatives have helped expand its network of growing partners in recent years, and the availability of proprietary table grape varieties. This growth has enabled them to collaborate with experienced growers across the Sonoran region of Mexico (as well as South America) who share the same vision and commitment to quality as their parent company, Grupo Alta.
"We developed our grower summits and Better Grower Program as a blueprint for our grower alliances to use and follow to develop into better growers," says Aguirre Jr. "Our grower network, not only in Mexico, but throughout other key grape growing regions, including California, have expanded and these grape partners share the same vision we have, and they have licensed access to the same varieties we grow allowing us to supply the best grapes year-round."
The grower summits bring together growers from around the world who align with Divine Flavor to supply its customers with flavorful proprietary grapes, but also hot-house vegetables. In 2019, Aguirre Jr., with the help of his team, held its first summit, inviting veg growers and grape invitees in Culiacán, Mexico. Thanks to these efforts, the company's veg partners are also transitioning to hot-house tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers from West Mexico to Central Mexico states like Querétaro and Guanajuato.
The team from Divine Flavor.
"Our parent company Grupo Alta has more than 30 years of experience, being one of the first companies to be fair trade certified, organically certified. We grow and operate under a six-pillar philosophy dedicated to excellent quality/flavor products, food safety, social responsibility, traceability, organics, and sustainability. Our motto "Growing Better Food for a Better World" is to produce the same fruits and vegetables we would feed our own families with, and thanks to our grower summits, our roots have expanded outside of Grupo Alta with other growers throughout Mexico, as well as South America with our grape partners there."
The company expects to finish its last grape shipments from Chile around the end of April (with inventories going into the first weeks of May). Its Jalisco grape program is midway through its harvest and will go until the end of May. The company will start its Sonoran grape program with organic grapes from Mexico around the middle of May, which will go into the end of July.
For more information:
Michael DuPuis
Divine Flavor
Tel: +1 (520) 281-8328
[email protected]
www.divineflavor.com