It has been at least a couple of months since there were any organic table grapes for U.S. retailers, but that will soon change as both California’s Coachella Valley and Mexico’s Sonora district are projected to begin shipping by mid-May.

“We expect to start with organic reds out of Coachella between May 10 and 15, with organic greens starting about 10 days later,” said John Harley, vice president of sales and marketing for Anthony Vineyards in Bakersfield, California.

John Harley, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Anthony Vineyards

Anthony Vineyards is expected to ship about 1.3 million cartons of table grapes from Coachella this spring and early summer, with about 40 percent of those being organic. They are the only major domestic organic grape grower-shipper in the Coachella spring deal, according to Harley, with their total volume representing about 45 percent of the entire volume from that district.

Harley said Coachella producers should be shipping both conventional and organic grapes from about May 15 to mid-July, depending upon how hot it gets. Some of the newer varieties have been bred for late production, so shippers could very well have fruit until the third week of July.

“We expect to start with organic reds out of Coachella between May 10 and 15, with organic greens starting about 10 days later." - John Harley

The longtime Anthony Vineyards salesman noted that an early read of the summer production from the San Joaquin Valley is predicting maturity earlier than last year. “In 2023, we were 15 to 20 days later than normal because of weather,” he said, noting that the grape harvest did not get underway until mid-July. “This year, we are expecting to be harvesting prior to the Fourth of July.”

Harley said there should be some overlap between the two districts, giving the company a seamless and continuous supply of organic and conventional table grapes from May through the summer and well into the fall.
He is also anticipating a strong market for California’s organic grapes, noting that conventional table grapes from Peru and Chile have had a very strong market for several months. “If the market holds, we will probably see the organic grapes from Coachella open up in the $40s [per carton].”

Harley also commented that the National Organic Program’s recently implemented SOE rule might have an impact on the Mexican import deal. He said the new regulations require proof of certification through an organic import certificate included with each organic shipment. He believes the rule will make it a bit more difficult to ship organics to the United States, which may have an impact on supplies—and therefore pricing.

While Coachella Valley shippers may very well begin selling organic grapes to a market yearning for them after a two-month drought, they will soon be joined by organic table grapes from Mexico.

The Mexican grape growers’ association released its official export estimate during its annual meeting this past weekend (April 20 and 21) pegging exports to the United States at about 24 million cartons, with the start date being earlier than last year.

Carlos Bon, Vice President of Sales, Divine Flavor

Carlos Bon, vice president of sales for Nogales, Arizona-based Divine Flavor, which produces its grapes in the Mexican states of Jalisco and Sonora, said this year’s earlier start gives the Mexican industry a longer time to sell its grapes. He said picking of both organic and conventional green grapes varieties should begin by May 10, with the fruit showing up on U.S. retailer shelves by mid-May. He added that organic reds from Mexico will start about 10 days later than the greens.

He explained that the earlier start will allow Mexico to export about 7 million cartons to the U.S. market in May, which would be 75 percent more volume than last year’s 4 million cartons.
Bon said there will be a significant number of organic table grapes in that number, helping to satisfy U.S. demand.

Overall, he expects the increased supply throughout the Mexican season, which will last well into July, to produce promotable volume and pricing. “We should see the lowest prices that we have seen since last August,” he said.

Bon said the market has been unusually high for the past several months with demand outpacing supply. In June, Mexico will ship the vast majority of its crop, which Bon predicted will lead the market price for conventional grapes to fall below $20 per carton and possibly below $15 per carton. He said the organic FOB market should continue to get a premium, but that the market would also be lower in mid-June.

He revealed that Divine Flavor produces about 50 percent of all the organic table grapes exported from Mexico to the United States.