In this edition, we are delighted to report on Grapa’s attendance at the 2020 Fruit Logistica Exhibition which took place in Berlin last week and bring news from around the ARRA world with updates from Israel, Greece and South Africa.
Great expectations
In advance of the Fruit Logistica exhibition, the ARRA grapes to be displayed were shipped in from as far away as Brazil, Chile, Peru, South Africa and California. The Grapa team were to see eager how the grapes fared after the long journey and they were not disappointed; the grapes arrived in very good condition, looking fresh and clean.
Enjoy the show
Fruit Logistica is the first major event of the Grapa calendar and after last week’s exhibition, it appears that 2020 has got off to a great start. Although the number of participants was noticeably lower this year, possibly as a result of the current Coronavirus outbreak, there was a continuous flow of international visitors to the Grapa stand and the Grapa team were thrilled to meet up with friends, colleagues and of course, to introduce the ARRA varieties to new, interested parties.
It's all about the grapes
Visitors delighted in the chance to see the grapes and taste the array of ARRA varieties and selections displayed.
It is our pleasure to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all the visitors, colleagues and friends who took the time to come and see us at the Grapa stand. We hope to see you all again this summer, in Bakersfield
Team ARRA in Kavala
In January, an international team of Jupiter Group and Grapa agronomists and technical advisors travelled to Greece to present a day-long seminar to the ARRA growers in Kavala, one of the three main table grape-producing regions in Greece. Jupiter Group is the exclusive master licence holder for ARRA™ varieties in Greece.
The team, made up of Jupiter’s procurement manager, Dimitris Theodorou (Greece), Jupiter grape agronomist, Andre Vermaak (Namibia), AVI agronomist, Maurizio Simone (Italy) and ARRA agronomist, Uzi Yaron (Israel), presented the protocols for each of the ARRA varieties cultivated in Greece and addressed various technical matters specific to ARRA production in the Kavala region.
With more than fifty ARRA growers in attendance, the seminar provided the ideal opportunity for the growers to discuss in person with the ARRA experts, their experiences with ARRA production on their farms and to receive professional advice specific to their individual issues. At the end of the seminar, there was a presentation by Kelpak, a company producing liquid seaweed concentrate.
Shaping the future
In January, Gilad Sadan, managing director of N.A.V.I. Co. Global Australia, a fresh produce marketing agency specializing in packaging, made a return visit to our offices to deliver a presentation to the Grapa team on the latest trends of fresh produce packaging for 2020.
Gilad explained that the word on everyone’s lips is sustainability, with increasing consumer demand for eco-friendly packing material, meaning less use of plastic and more use of recyclable materials. Retailers, therefore, are under growing pressure to lower their environmental impact and are responding by producing green solutions for packaging.
Looks grape to us
In our last newsletter edition (#283), we featured the recent ARRA Sweeties™ harvest at Lac du Soleil farm in the Western Cape, South Africa. This week, we are delighted to update you on the successful arrival of the harvest to Holland. As can be seen from the photos below, the grapes arrived in excellent condition; fresh, crisp and clean and the customers were very happy with these first arrivals.
- 14th July Early field day for observation of early to midseason varieties on the vine.
- 16th August Field day exclusively for ARRA licensees.
- 17th August Field day for non-ARRA licensees.
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