Asda has announced it is set to stock the UK’s first-ever retail-ready seedless table grapes in 2016 after a successful three-year growing trial in East Malling in Kent. Was the trial an Asda initiative or a research initiative Asda took on?
Alberto Goldbacher (AG): It was very much an Asda initiative. We at Asda believe, with all the recent technological developments, that there must be way of growing seedless grapes in the UK.
In the past there have been some seeded grapes grown, for example at Kew Gardens. But there is very low demand for seeded grapes in the UK. So we contacted East Malling having identified certain varieties to trial. We selected about eight, including red, green and black, and East Malling grew them for us. We had support from one of our Spanish growers, who shared his expertise.
How are the vines grown? And how do you overcome the UK weather conditions?
AG: The grapes are grown in a plastic greenhouse covered in netting, which offers protection against the rain and helps maintain a constant temperature day and night.
The results we had this year were incredibly encouraging, with good yields, good size, and good eating quality. Our one concern is that the grape sugars could have been a bit higher. So we have identified a black and red variety – we’d rather not say which – to test further. We are going to work on plant nutrition through irrigation to find the right balance of nutrients needed to increase sugar levels without affecting yields or flavour. For example, the more potassium you give the plant, the higher the sugar levels, but it can stress the vine. The more nitrogen, the greater the production but less flavour. It’s about getting the balance right. Work will also be done on taking back the leaves so more sunlight can get to the branches, to improve sugars.
What volumes do you expect to sell this year, and when will they come on stream? How will UK-grown fruit compete with other sources coming into the market at that time?
AG: We are expecting small commercial volumes in October or November this year, but we have quite a long way to go. The UK grape crop will be harvested between October and November, so will miss the main Spanish season.
It will coincide with the Brazilian season, however, which means UK availability at retail level will save on food miles meaning Asda can reduce its carbon footprint. They are also arriving at a time when there is a shortage of black seedless grapes.
Will the UK-grown grapes be sold at a premium?
AG: At this point we are planning to sell the UK-grown seedless grapes at our standard black and red line prices, but obviously packs will show the Union Jack and we will explain to our customers that they are grown in Kent. It really depends on the volumes we get as to whether we do a big promotional push.
Asda has said it is hoping to educate growers across the UK to develop UK table grape production into an industry-wide initiative by 2018. Is that still the plan and how will you achieve this?
AG: Yes, if we get encouraging results this year, the idea is to encourage other UK growers to enter into table grape production by bringing them to East Malling, show them what we’re doing there, give them feedback and the growing protocol. An alternative is to scale up production at East Malling. It’s a little early to tell at the moment, we’ll base it on this year’s results.
What was the incentive behind Asda’s UK grape initiative: sales growth in the UK table grape market or consumer desire to eat local?
AG: It was driven more by consumer desire to eat local and our aim to reduce food miles. It will also provide a fresher product during the October and November supply window, because South American grapes can take four to five weeks to arrive in stores by sea, whereas the Kent grapes will be on shelves within days.
I would say the UK table grape market is reaching saturation point in total, but there are areas of growth within it, such as within the black seedless category, as well as for varieties with quirky new flavours, like candy floss or tropical flavours. Demand for green grapes is in decline, but there are some newer early and late varieties, such as Sun World’s Autumn Crisp that I hope might help resurrect the sector.
What are the biggest changes you’ve noticed in the UK table grape market over the last 20 years?
AG: The biggest change is the arrival of green, red and black seedless varieties within the last 20 years: before that, only seeded grapes were available, and they weren’t available year-round. There were huge seasonal gaps. Then seedless red varieties started to become available within the last 10-15 years, which took over from green. There has been considerable investment in new varieties, mostly red and black, over the last three to five years.
Another shift is that 20 years ago most grapes were sold loose in bags with very few in punnets. Now 90 per cent of sales volumes are sold in punnets. Another thing gathering momentum are the newer, more unusually-flavoured grapes, such as Sun World’s Sable or IFG’s Cotton Candy. Customers really like them and are starting to look for them. We are starting to write the varieties on the pack so customers can recognise them.
