“We normally start a little bit ahead of everybody,” said Hudson. “Demand has been very good, far exceeding supply. The transition from Mexico and Coachella up to the Central Valley is going to be a smooth one. Customers are very excited for the California crop.”
Movement at the retail level has also been positive, especially for the Champagne and Concord varieties, which the farm just started harvesting this week. “Movement is very good. There’s a lot of interest and a lot of demand from both domestic and export customers on these varieties.” Pricing on Flames has been $22.95 on large and $20.95 on medium large. “We’ve been selling out every day,” said Hudson.
Growers have been battling excessive temperatures in the Valley. Excessive heat can affect harvest numbers.
“It’s causing the crews to have to finish up a little earlier in the day, which impacts your estimates and production. Outside of that everything else has been very good,” Hudson stated. “Following the Fourth of July holiday, in addition to Flame seedless, harvest will begin on Summer Royals, Thompsons, and our Sheehan variety, Ivory seedless. We will then be able to offer all colors of fresh California grapes to our customers.”
