More often associated with bananas, Ecuador is unlikely to be the first country that comes to mind at the mention of South American table grapes. Chile, for example is the world leader with exports of US$1.4 billion last year, followed by Peru and Brazil with US$646 million and US$65 million respectively.

In the same period Ecuador exported just under US$394,000 of the fruit. In context, that's just 3% of the value shipped by the continent's fourth-largest player Argentina.

But like other sectors in the equatorial nation, including avocados, yellow pitahaya and pineapples, the table grape industry has ambition in spades. 

At Fresh Fruit Portal we caught up with Alejandro Cornejo, executive director at th Ecuadorian Table Grape Grower Association (APRUEC), to find out more about this field that has seen production grow 44% over the last five years.

He emphasized the industry aimed to raise plantings from 160 hectares up to 1,500 hectares within two years, making the most of good productive capacity from April to July; months when there is less production in Chile and the United States. 

Unfortunately a difficult season last winter meant crops didn't received much sun, and as in northern Peru there was a lot of unusual rainfall in areas that normally don't receive as much precipitation.

This has reduced the average yield per hectare down from 3,000 to 2,500 boxes for the time being, but this is all part of the learning process for the industry, with growers studying new technology and practices and some even installing metal trellises in preparation for adverse weather events in future.

These issues have meant only 40MT were exported between January and September, compared to 158MT for the 2016 calendar year. However, Cornejo said the amount of hectares planted still rose 28%, reaching 205 hectares in total. 

Spanish multinational SanLucar has formed an important part of the push to grow Ecuador's incipient export-oriented table grape industry.

"The results we've obtained in Ecuador have been promising, allowing us even by the end of 2016 to not only supply the local market, but also ship the first container of Ecuadorian grapes to Europe," said SanLucar's country manager Leonel González.

He said the company had 20 hectares dedicated to the varieties Crimson and Sugraone, and had recently expanded the surface area to include 44 additional hectares for the varieties Sweet Globe and Jack's Salute.

APRUEC is also working on opening up access in the U.S. and Canadian markets.

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