California’s grape growers have taken advantage of supply problems for their European counterparts this year and shipped significant additional volumes into the UK, said Susan Day, pictured right, director of international marketing at the California Table Grape Commission.
“The shortages in Spain and Greece and the early end in South Africa, which pulled some northern hemisphere crop forward, gave us a nice window in July and August. We don’t have precise volume yet, but the proof will be in the numbers,” she said.
The dollar, which has weakened by a deal-breaking 10 per cent in the last year, has played its part, but suppliers in the UK that had stepped away from California in recent seasons have also been enticed by varieties such as red seedless Sweet Scarlett, which is a premium alternative to Crimson, and black seedless Summer Royal, which has proved a good addition to a fast-growing segment. “The UK market has always been in our top 10 export destinations. Competition has affected our volume over the years, but we have moved into the high-value, speciality end of the category successfully,” said Day.
“We have worked very hard to have red, white and black seedless available throughout our season and I think we provide another level of trade in the market,” she added. “Most Californian product is sold through premium brands such as Taste the Difference and Finest, and is understandably a little more expensive because of that.”
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