Grapes will continue to be harvested in the Coachella Valley through mid-July before shifting north to the San Joaquin Valley, where grapes are harvested into December.
Freshfruitportal.com spoke with the Dominican Republic's Minister of Agriculture, Limber Cruz, and AMFRESH Managing Director of North America, Felipe Kanacri, about quality, updates, and future plans.
The first harvest of commercial grapes is scheduled for April, and a trial shipment will be sent to the United States shortly thereafter.
Global Grape Group's founding members include leading table grape importers from Chile, Peru, and Mexico, and will soon expand to include grape importers from around the world.
Thomas Holt III, running sales and marketing at Holt Logistics Corp., told Freshfruitportal.com that the supply of table grapes arriving in the U.S. is significantly outpacing last season.
Freshfruitportal.com spoke with the Director of Special Projects at Pandol Bros. Inc., who expressed concerns about this season's imported grapes and the effects of tariffs on costs and trade.
The latest reports indicate that while the market is moving, it is not keeping up with heavy arrivals.
The 2025 Chilean table grape season began with optimism among growers, who highlighted the fruit's good quality, and the opportunity to export under the Systems Approach protocol to the U.S.
Production is projected to increase by nearly 200,000 tons to 845,000 in 2024, recovering fully from damage caused by Hurricane Hilary last year.
Freshfruitportal.com spoke with the commercial manager of Exportadora RIOblanco, Nicolas Damm, who said that currently in the U.S. market, there is room for Peruvian and Chilean fruit.
