After two seasons marked by extreme weather events, California grapes aimed for a comeback in 2025. Instead, a late-season stretch of rain trimmed the crop below the initial projections of 100 million boxes.
While official numbers from the California Table Grape Commission (CTGC) are coming in early April, David Espinoza of table grape and citrus producing company Hronis International Sales tells FreshFruitPortal.com the final volume will land closer to 95 million boxes.
“First meetings regarding total declared volume by growers were around 98 to 100 million boxes total for the season. First declared numbers by the CTGC still show around 95 milliontotal,” he explains.
Espinoza notes that the estimate takes into account the serious damage caused by Hurricane Hillary in 2023, as well as the effect of 2024’s heat waves. While the adverse climate has diminished, the executive notes vineyards are still recovering from weather-related trauma.
The 2025 season began with favorable temperatures, particularly during the peak green seedless harvest in August, Espinoza says. However, labor shortages in some areas left fruit hanging longer than intended. This affected fruit quality and shelf life.
“After that, we had a first ‘little rain’ in September with some areas not ready with plastic coverage. For some growers, it caused some reduction in total volume harvested. It increased in October and November, really affecting total crop, even in plastic-covered vineyards,” Espinoza adds.
While California grapes stay mostly at home, Canada and Mexico remain the primary export outlets.
“We sent less total volume, with a reduction on final price to Canada in comparison with 2024. Mexico also saw a reduction on final price but and increment on total volume,” Espinoza says. He adds that it's a “normal industry practice” to increase volume to Mexico when the end of the season quality is not as solid.
Asian markets such as Japan and Taiwan received volumes comparable to 2024, with prices “similar or slightly higher on average per box,” Espinoza says.
Australia and New Zealand also took similar volumes year-on-year, with stronger average returns driven by specialty varieties. Central and South America posted gains in both volume and average per-box pricing compared with 2024, he said.
Despite a projected cutback on shipments, the Chilean table grape industry remains a key player in the United States market. While 2024 saw arrivals peak and prices soften in the Andean country, this season is looking more evenly distributed.
This, Espinoza says, can be explained more accurately by the strong Peruvian presence, rather than by oversupply concerns for California grapes.
“50 years ago, Peru did not even exist as a player in the US. So Chile was the 100-million-box producer-exporter. But then, with Peru now at 70, 80 million boxes, and with 40 or 50 million going to the US, Chile no longer has the space,” he explains.
“So that is basically the reason why they don't send heavy volume in November and December: Because Peru is like the big guy in the market, even until January,” he stresses.
Unsurprisingly, the executive cites weather as the season’s primary operational challenge.
“We plan and execute in advance every season for our California grapes. We know the sky will send us ‘something’ and we will handle it properly. What else after a historic hurricane in 2023?” he says.
He also notes that, while labor remains a concern for the sector, it has not been an issue for Hronis.
“We work with several contractors, and all of them handle our labor needs very well. We have been in business since 1945, and table grapes have been our key product from the beginning,” he adds.
Looking ahead to 2026, the company plans to prioritize early-season retail commitments. The plan, Espinoza says, is to secure early-season volume, which should be coming during 4th of July week.
“Then we will focus our energy on handling whatever is coming with weather changes to adapt our operation and perform accordingly every day. Materials, transportation, and market consumption are always key in our daily operations. We will be open to evaluate new varieties or products, and be ready to supply our clients,” he says.
*All images are referential.
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