NOGALES, AZ - A recent weather event in Mexico posed challenges to table grape growers, but Divine Flavor is now well-positioned to bring premium product to the market. Carlos Bon, Vice President of Sales, shared some insights with me as we enter the second half of the season.

“Tropical Storm Alvin was the first of the year, hitting early and taking an unusual path. We were impacted by the remaining effects after the storm, which encountered a cold front coming from the north. Although Alvin brought less than an inch of rain in some areas, it affected our crops grown in the desert, especially the Flame seedless, a red grape variety less resistant to humidity,” Carlos told me. “However, things have changed in the past couple of weeks, and we are now in an excellent position as we approach the second half of the season.”

As Carlos explained, Divine Flavor is now getting into the later varieties that were at a very immature state at the time that the rain hit. He said the more immature they are, the less effect they have from an event like this. So, going forward, Divine Flavor’s late-season varieties are primed for the shelf.

“Now, not only are we going into much better conditions and quality because of the rain effects, but we're also going into the varieties that are better in flavor,” Carlos relayed. “We're talking about Sweet Globe™, Timpson™, Sweet Celebration™, Ruby Rush®, and the specialty grapes like Cotton Candy™, Gummyberries™, and Jelly Berries™. We call it the most wonderful time of the year here at Divine Flavor, and it's coming at a perfect time because there is a lot of demand.”

Carlos added that the table grape pipeline is pretty empty right now due to the impacts of Alvin, so consumers will be ready for an influx of high-quality grapes. Divine Flavor is starting small, shipping this weekend, but next week supplies will come online more significantly. Those numbers will keep growing as the supplier goes later into the month of June, shipping until approximately July 22.

“Nature is always the main variable in determining whether we have a good crop. This year, in particular, is a very good year for these late varieties regarding our most important objective: high flavor. Yes, this comes with Mother Nature, but also with patience, because even a very good grape can be screwed up by harvesting too early,” Carlos elaborated. “Mother Nature has played its part in allowing us to have great quality, and now it's up to us, even with the pressure from the market to go in and harvest because of the need for grapes, we have to hold ourselves back and wait until the variety is showing its max potential flavor.”

Depending on the variety, Carlos noted, there's a point where the brix gets high enough that it "breaks the acid," and that's the sweet spot. Right now, Divine Flavor has enough brix for some varieties to meet the specifications of any customer in the United States and Canada, but the supplier is dead-set on exceeding expectations.

“We're only one brix away on some varieties— at .33 brix a day, we're just three days away, so we’re asking retailers to bear with us,” Carlos said on a final note.

There is plenty more to explore within Divine Flavor’s table grape program, so stay tuned for our next report.