John Harley Shares Anthony Vineyards' Niche and Traditional Variety Program for Retailers
BAKERSFIELD, CA - High-flavor California table grape varieties not only anchor the produce department from summer through the fall—and for some companies, even into December—but they change the way that the consumer perceives flavor and raises the bar on expectations throughout the produce department. Anthony Vineyards is one of those companies that not only promotes excellence in the category but promises consistent and quality programs that can continue, year after year, to uphold the retailer’ promise to its shoppers.
“There are so many new grape varieties flooding the market, but the true test of anything new is its staying power and a company’s ability to supply the demand that they have created,” John Harley, Vice President of Sales and Marketing shares with me. “At Anthony Vineyards, we bring our partners a vertically-integrated program of traditional and niche varieties that keeps them at the forefront of both grape offerings and marketing, by anticipating trends and transforming their category destinations.”
As a conventional and organic grape shipper and producer, the company brings newer high-flavor varieties like the Sweet Sapphire, Sweet Heart, Candy Heart, and Candy Dream as well as other varieties like Sweet Globe, Sweet Scarlet, and Timco to name a few. And Anthony Vineyards has more than a few varieties in its marketing and merchandising tool kit, with over 25 varieties to choose from at different times during the year.
“Currently, we have great promotable volumes across green and red organic and conventional varieties with good size, brix, and a great eating experience,” John tells me. “We work closely with our customers to truly partner on their needs and have even upped our organic production by 20 percent in the past couple years to further engage them in the ongoing conversation about the consumer’s changing buying behaviors.”
Anthony Vineyards offers clamshells and variety-specific pouch bags to address those needs and more. The season for the Bakersfield-based company runs through December to take you all the way to the end of the year.
New is great, but new and consistent is better. At least that is what I am hearing from growers across the board. Keep checking back with AndNowUKnow as we cover the innovations and vision of the California table grape industry.
