Australian table grape grower-exporter hopes to leverage new licence as it delivers top quality fruit this season
High-quality fruit will always find a home in international markets but pairing quality with in-demand varieties is a recipe for success.
John Argiro, owner of Palms Vineyards, says the company will be even better placed to tick both boxes after being awarded a licence from Sun World International.
“It’s very exciting and will open a lot of doors for us,” Argiro says. “The beauty of the Sun World breeding programme is that the varieties are well proven.”
It will also give Palms more flexibility to work with its customers and meet their specifications.
“We’ve kicked off some direct supply ourselves, but we’ll still maintain our partnerships with the marketers we’ve worked with for a long time,” he adds.
Palms has a sharp focus on quality to set itself apart in the market. The business has made significant investments in covered production to ensure its fruit has the best chance to reach its potential.
“The quality of our covered fruit is second to none, that’s our major point of difference in the industry. We’ve got three quarters of all product undercover and whatever new production we put in goes undercover,” says Argiro.
Palms is based in Yelta, northwest of major table grape production hub Mildura, a location that yields an earlier harvest. This timing combined with a portion of covered fruit provides another advantage, according to Argiro.
“We’re already the earliest region in Sunraysia and with the covers, we get a two or three week advantage,” he explains. “The covers also give you more time to pick a crop – we can pick the uncovered fruit and then go back and pick the covered fruit over the space of a month to six weeks.”
The majority of that fruit is then airfreighted, Argiro’s preferred method of delivery to ensure quality is maintained.
Palms will supply a range of Asian markets this season with key markets including Vietnam and Indonesia. Japan has also opened access to all varieties and Argiro believes it could prove a reliable market for high-end Australian product because consumers are accustomed to paying a premium price for Shine Muscat grapes.
“I personally believe that the Japanese market – once they see the product and if we can give them the quality they want – is willing to pay to the price levels of what they’re paying for Shine Muscat,” says Argiro.
To help build momentum with its customers, Palms hosted an international delegation in February where visitors were treated to a morning with brand ambassador and owner of The Cordony Kitchen, Amanda Cordony, and the launch of new Palms gift boxes.
