A cool, dry winter has brought forward the start of this year’s Californian table grape season, with harvesting of the first Flames and Perlettes in the Coachella getting underway at the end of April, about two weeks earlier than usual.
California table grape shipments to the UK rose by 35 per cent in 2013/14 to 732,713 19lb cartons compared with the previous year. According to Susan Day of the California Table Grape Commission, the volume shipped was 13 per cent higher than the three-year average.
The UK represents the state’s 11th biggest export market and the CTGC has a full line-up of promotional activities ready.
“Once again we’ll be working with retailers to conduct activities in their stores such as samplings, unique point-of-sale materials and consumer competitions,” she told Fruitnet.
