BAKERSFIELD, CA - Sun World International, LLC has announced the appointment of four leading grape producer-exporters to grow and market its proprietary seedless grapes from vineyards throughout South America. 

Included in the appointments are Exser out of Chile, Agrivale out of Brazil, and Ecosac and Agricola Chapi out of  Peru. These four companies will join Sun World’s twelve existing grape marketer licensees that currently operate from Chile, Peru, and Brazil.

“Supermarkets, importers and wholesalers around the world have encouraged Sun World to broaden its South American supply base. These four new licensees, each leading grape producer-exporters, are a terrific addition to our global marketer network,” Executive Vice President David Marguleas said. 

More information about Sun World’s newest marketers includes:

• EXSER
• Founded in 1990 by Andres Ureta and is managed today by Andres, his brother Pablo Ureta, and by Andres’ sons Christian and Matias. It sources grapes from its own vineyards and from others throughout Chile’s major growing regions.
• ECOSAC  
• Founded in 2000 as ECOACUICOLA and today operates as part of the Costa del Sol Group. Under the direction of Commercial Director Gerd Burmeste and Grape General Manager Paulo Durate, it produces grapes in Peru’s Piura region. 
• Agricola Chapi S.A.
• Founded in 1997 by a group  of entrepreneurs including Augusto and Alvaro Baertl and operated today by an experienced management team, farms more than 3,000 hectares. It sources grapes from its own vineyards and from joint-ventures throughout Peru’s growing regions.
• Agrivale
• Located in Petrolina, Brazil, was established in 1996 and today—under the direction of its President Graco Farias—operates one of Brazil’s largest table grape farming and export operations.

According to a press release, along with growing many of Sun World’s new seedless grape varieties, each of the four new licensees has also been granted a license to distribute fruit from new varieties developed by Sun World and to use Sun World’s brands. These brands include MIDNIGHT BEAUTY®, SCARLOTTA SEEDLESS®, AUTUMNCRISP®, ADORA SEEDLESS® and SABLE SEEDLESS® in the marketplace. Sun World's fruit licensing program involves more than 1,500 producers and marketing companies in most of the world's major fruit-growing regions.

These four new licensees will join more than forty other Sun world grape marketers around the world. Sun World Licensing Manager Carolina Uquillas, who oversees all South American licensing activity, joined the company in January 2014 and is leading the effort to expand Sun World’s footprint in Chile, Brazil and Peru.

Currently, Sun World’s variety development work focuses on a full range of fresh grapes, the company says, with extraordinary characteristics such as enhanced flavor, distinctive taste, larger berries, and clusters, earlier and later ripening times and availability, and increased productivity. Sun World also develops new plums, peaches, apricots and nectarines for licensed growers.

Since its inception in the mid-1970s, the company's Variety Development Center has released countless varieties with improved flavor, size, color, shelf-life and extended seasonality. In addition to production on its own California properties, Sun World and/or its licensees grow these proprietary varieties in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe, South America, Israel and South Africa.

Sun World