"The sale of off-season grapes has increased massively in Spain"

"A few campaigns ago, the sale of table grapes outside the domestic season was residual in Spain. Although last year we noticed an increase in sales, this year the growth has been massive," explains Miriam Cutillas, of the commercial and marketing department of Uvasdoce, a company from Alicante devoted to the production, import and export of table grapes.

It seems that, in general terms, Spanish consumers are no longer sticking to seasons and buy certain fruits all year round, and table grapes are among them. Grape prices have played an important role in motivating consumers.

Table grapes have generally been more affordable for Spanish importers during this campaign, as Chile has been shipping more volumes to Europe compared to last season, when they opted for the US market and the few volumes that reached Europe had exorbitant prices. Another important factor was the overlap of Chilean grapes with those from South Africa and India between March and early April.

"From now on, prices will start to rise and sales will slow down, as we will also compete with stonefruit," she points out. "In May and June, the consumption of grapes tends to decline until the arrival of the domestic production, although we don't expect it to fall so much this year."

So far, the quality of Chilean grapes has been very irregular. "We have had very good batches and others with very low quality, especially in the case of Thompson seedless white grapes. The quality of the Red Globe and Crimson has been acceptable. The Crimson has been the variety with the more limited availability, and from now on it will be even more difficult to get it."

Also worth noting is the high quality of South African and Indian grapes. "The best Thompson we've had this year has come from South Africa, whose season is almost over. They are doing a great job; they are increasingly producing better grapes. India has also made a significant leap this year in terms of quality and taste."

Last year, adverse weather conditions and pests took a huge toll on the small cherry production that Uvasdoce has had for the past two campaigns. Around 80% of the production was lost.

"We have started harvesting the first cherries this week. This year, we are expecting a much better harvest in terms of volume, quality and calibres. We will only have to regret the loss of around 15% of the production, especially of the fruits that are highest in the trees, due to the cracking caused by excess moisture during the fruit's growing season. What is most outstanding this year is the sweetness of the fruit, since the varieties that have not yet reached the right colour can actually be consumed already," points out Miriam Cutillas.

Uvasdoce sells its cherries mainly in the Spanish market.