Californian grapes received a strong promotional boost in the Chinese market last week, with industry officials aiming to capitalize on the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival.

Mr Pan cooked dishes for guests using California table grapes

Dozens of media professions and numerous gourmet-food connoisseurs from different fields attended the event held in the Renaissance Capital Beijing Hotel called "Taste the Dream – Grapes from California."

California grapes have been sold in the Chinese market over the last 20 years, and their export volume has risen from 1.3 million pounds in 1997 to 45.2 million pounds in 2015.

The event in the Chinese capital involved a series of presentations from key industry representatives including the U.S. Embassy in Beijing's Director of Agricultural Trade Office, Mark Ford and California Table Grape Commission (CTGC) vice president of international marketing Susan Day.

Chef Mr. Pan also gave a demonstration of two California grape refreshments and taught guests how to make Chinese mooncakes with California table grape stuffing to welcome the traditional Mid-Autumn Festival, which takes place on Sept. 15.

There was lively interaction with Chinese consumers

Numerous other dishes and beverages were prepared during the event, including iced table grapes. A mouthful of smashed grapes with chocolate and nuts was also served.

Speaking to www.freshfruitportal.com earlier in the month, Pandol Bros special projects director John Pandol said California shippers had been enjoying a positive season this year, with good demand, yields and prices.

Although the industry's production volumes are expected to grow by a few percentage points year-on-year, the representative believed shipments would wind down slightly earlier than last year.

He added the strengthening of the U.S. dollar over the last couple of years had had a surprising minor effect on exports to the state's key markets.

Photo: www.shutterstock.com

www.freshfruitportal.com