The supply of grapes from California, which started its season a few days early this year, is increasing daily. "This season is projected to be a little bit larger than last year, but everything looks to be great at this stage of the game. The crop is really coming along nicely," says Justin D. Bedwell of Bari Produce.
© Bari Produce
For Bari, its supply at the moment looks similar to where it was last year at this time, with early grapes looking good, with steady daily production amounts
In terms of varieties, it is shipping Ivories on green grapes and Flames on red grapes. "We are also harvesting a specialty varietal–Thomcord. Next week, we will start some Valley pear greens, and then Great Greens the week after," says Bedwell. "On the red side, we have Timcos in about 10 days, and then Krissys behind them. We will also start packing a newer black grape this season, Solbrio, that we are really excited about. It is jet black with excellent size and should be a winner." Looking further ahead, Bari will also start with two more specialty grape varieties–Champagnes and Natural Thompsons.
Transitioning fully to California
While California's season is underway, storage grapes are still shipping from Mexico, though that should wind down next week as California ramps up.
© Bari Produce
Meanwhile, demand is steady, and supply is keeping up with demand. "We anticipate that as we move into August, with more varieties coming off, demand will increase as prices come down a bit," says Bedwell. "Consumption is also steady. Grapes are a top-selling item already in the produce department, and with the newer varieties, the produce that growers are putting on the shelves is really high-quality fruit. I think that will keep consumption strong in the near future."
As for pricing, it's good that it has started dropping, which will be needed to keep the crop moving. Pricing is now getting in line with 2024 pricing.
For more information:
Justin Bedwell
Bari Produce
Tel: +1 (559) 560-5600
[email protected]
www.bariproduce.com
