In this week’s special edition of our Newsletter we are proud to share with you the beautiful event we held last week in order to celebrate 10 years of ARRA™ Varieties in Brazil. 

We bring you this special edition Newsletter to share the breath-taking event held last week, celebrating 10 years of the ARRA Varieties in Brazil.

How can we relay to you, our readers, this particularly meaningful and spectacular day? First you need to understand the magnitude of this milestone.

As Augusto Prado, Grapa President in Brazil recounts in his moving words during the Gala Dinner: “Ten years ago the arrival of the ARRA varieties in Brazil represented the hope for the survival of viticulture in the São Francisco Valley. Nowadays we understand with certainty that the ARRA Sweeties™ was essential for the continuity of the table grape industry in this region”. 

The ARRA program brought success and prosperity to growers whose previous future was unknown, and bought to life a flourishing strong family that is ARRA Brazil.

On Saturday 19th of November the Grapa team in Brazil, held an incredibly well-organized full day event in order to celebrate 10 years of ARRA Varieties in Brazil. The Grapa Team accompanied by Karl Conrads, ARRA Varieties Agent in South America, travelled all the way to Brazil to partake in the festivities.
The day kicked off with a seminar, held exclusively for the Brazilian licensed ARRA Growers and technical teams. The event gathered more than 270 people and was followed by the 10th anniversary party of the ARRA Varieties in Brazil. During the seminar, many pivotal technical topics were covered including a special focus on the importance of plastic covers in the vineyards. For this an international expert, Mr. Alejandro Zuleta was brought in from Chile to share his valuable knowledge and experience.
Although the focus was technical, other broader matters were brought to the stage. A big emphasis was given to the future and the importance of marketing and branding strategy. The last lecture of the day was given by Ivan Zanchi, a behavioral scientist who relayed in a captivating way how to develop, maintain and grow relationships leading to wellbeing of each of us and those around us.
Augusto Prado, Grapa President in Brazil reports: “This was a very special event for us. It truly marked how important and valuable the ARRA Varieties are for the Brazilian producers. The technical seminar we held in the morning surely enriched the growers with knowledge regarding good growing practices and the party we held in the evening really made us feel like a big family”. Augusto concludes by saying: ” I would like to thank the Grapa Brasil team for their dedication and drive in making this event so special, Russaika Nascimento, Grapa Technical Manager in Brazil, for taking care of the full organization and Amanda Rodrigues, Technical Manager, Alana Góis, Administrative Manager and Jonathas Ranver, Research Technician Assistant, for their dedication and support in ensuring the success of the event. Moreover, a big thank to the Grapa and Grapasa teams that travelled all the way to Brazil to celebrate with us”.
Rafi Karniel, Grapa CEO recounts:” It was a very exciting experience to travel to Brazil to celebrat the 10 years anniversary of ARRA in the country. 12 years ago, I travelled with my father, Shachar Karniel, to Brazil to study the potential of the ARRA varieties in this country. We eventually started the ARRA project in Brazil with ARRA Sweeties™, which was discovered to be exactly what the Sao Francisco Valley needed. With the amazing commitment and collaboration of the ARRA growers and good acceptance by the local market, ARRA Sweeties became a desired variety by both, producers and consumers”. Rafi continues:” The future looks bright in Brazil. We are confident that the new generation of ARRA Varieties will bring even more growth and prosperity to Brazilian table grape industry”.
A big thank you to all the sponsors that made this event an even bigger success. The companies representatives provided the producers a unique experience and the participants were able to learn about the latest technologies in the field thanks to cutting-edge, scalable solutions related to the challenges of the table grape growing industry.
Left: Mr. Sachin with Mr. Deepak, proud ARRA grower
Mairene Casarino supervising the packing of ARRA Sweeties
There is not a better way to celebrate in style over a good dinner and some good music. The Grapa Brazil Team took care of every small detail and organized a very blissful and superior event. A heartfelt speech was given in honor of Shachar Karniel, the ARRA Varieties Breeder. The whole room agreed that Shachar’s vision, driven by his passion, brought the Brazilian table grape industry to flourish. Geniality, perseverance, resilience and faith are some of the words, among many others, that the Brazilian growers used to describe Shachar. Recounting Augusto’s speech: “Ten years ago with the introduction of the ARRA Varieties in Brazil, Shachar changed the future of the growers. ARRA Sweeties has been a crucial variety in order to maintain the viticulture in the region”. Augusto concludes:” I would like to add few more words that indeed describe Shachar, Grapa and the ARRA Breeding Programme: incomparable, family spirited, trustworthy, safe, quality, and prosperity”. Below we share with you some pictures taken during the evening gala event where the good atmosphere radiates.
Rafi Karniel summarizes: “In the name of the Karniel family, I would like to extend my utmost gratitude to the Grapa Brazil Team and their hard work. Your dedication helped us reach our goals. I deeply appreciate every member of this team for showing relentless effort for the success of the ARRA Breeding Programme in Brazil. Cheers to many more years to come!”.
We were highly delighted to see hundreds of shared stories, posts and likes during the event. We appreciate the consistent support we receive via our social media channels. Much thanks for having such loyal followers.

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