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Early Harvest in Egypt

Table grape production in Egypt is geographically spread over different growing regions. The production of early to late-ripening grapes enables the prolonged availability of fresh table grapes to the market. The early entry to the UK and European market is usually marked with an advantageous period as there is usually low amount or no fresh grapes available at that time. Last week, ARRA representatives in Egypt, Ali Shahata and Eng. Fayez Dowidar alongside Andre Vermaak, Grapa’s Global Tech Support Advisor, were busy visiting the ARRA vineyards in the different growing areas, with great anticipation for the harvest, already on the go for some varieties.  

Ali notes: The first shipment of grapes left Egypt to Europe this season on May 6th, and we know that grapes from India and Chile are still in the markets in Europe, but the quality of Egyptian grapes will guarantee them a good place in the markets.” Ali and Fayez support the growth and development of the ARRA project in Egypt, organizing and facilitating the operation to reach its full potential in the region.

Dream Team: Andre Vermaak, Ali Shahata and Eng. Fayez Dowidar (From left to right)
Dream Team: Andre Vermaak, Ali Shahata and Eng. Fayez Dowidar (From left to right)
ARRA Passion Fire at Blue Nile with Andre Vermaak
ARRA Passion Fire at Blue Nile with Andre Vermaak

One of the secrets to the success of Egyptian growers is maintaining the perfect balance between high fruit quality and harvest timing at ideal sugar levels. In addition, this balance is kept with relatively high yields, resulting in notable profitability. Ali further notes: “The grape harvest season in Egypt began earlier this year, about 10 days early compared to last year. Fertility this season is good for all varieties, whether early, mid, or late. The production level is higher than the previous season, the sizes are good, and no weight problems have been detected so far”.

Andre also estimates that it looks like Egypt is going to have excellent produce, especially during June.

Always Early & Sweet

Andre says that the Early Sweet™ he saw during his visit was of amazing quality, featuring a nice bunch size, good berry structure, and crispy texture.

Andre explains that the growers need to choose the right timing for the harvest according to the European & UK markets’ supply of grapes from other origins, while not affecting the produce quality. As so, some growers already harvested and exported their produce, and some will do so during this week or the following. 

Andre’s history with Early Sweet started over 20 years ago when Shachar Karniel, the breeder of the variety, introduced it to him. Andre recalls he immediately recognized its vast potential and was the first to plant it in Namibia. Since then, the Early Sweet plantation has been expanding like a “snowball”, now being one of the biggest varieties in the country, producing over a million boxes. This well-established variety is the first to ripen during the season, opening the gate to newer white varieties such as ARRA Honey Pop™.

Early Sweet at Pico
Early Sweet at Pico
Early Sweet packing at Pico
Early Sweet packing at Pico
Early Sweet Harvest at EgyFarm
Early Sweet Harvest at EgyFarm
Early Sweet Harvest at EgyFarm
Early Sweet Harvest at EgyFarm
Early Sweet at Blue Nile
Early Sweet at Blue Nile
Early Sweet packing at Blue Nile
Early Sweet packing at Blue Nile

New generation: ARRA Honey Pop™

This is the second year we are seeing commercial crops in Egypt and the results are splendid.

Andre notes the ARRA Honey Pop is showing high potential, and its harvest will probably start also at the end of May. The important features of ARRA Honey Pop its low labor costs, high yield, and taste quality.

Click here to learn more about ARRA Honey Pop

ARRA Honey Pop at Technogreen
ARRA Honey Pop at Technogreen
ARRA Honey Pop at Technogreen
ARRA Honey Pop at Technogreen
ARRA Honey Pop at FATA
ARRA Honey Pop at FATA
ARRA Honey Pop at FATA
ARRA Honey Pop at FATA

When the ARRA Passion is on Fire

Andre Vermaak mentions that the ARRA Passion Fire™ is looking very good, highlighting its extremely firm texture. The color covers now about 70-80%, and the harvest is planned to start either in the last week of May or the first week of June. Watch the magic happen in your own eyes in the video and images below.

ARRA Passion Fire at Pico
ARRA Passion Fire at Pico
ARRA Passion Fire at Nile International
ARRA Passion Fire at Nile International
ARRA Passion Fire at Blue Nile
ARRA Passion Fire at Blue Nile
ARRA Passion Fire at Pico
ARRA Passion Fire at Pico
ARRA Passion Fire at Pico
ARRA Passion Fire at Pico

Drops of happiness with ARRA Sugar Drop™

Andre Vermaak flattered the ARRA Sugar Drop for being very crispy, and how its berries “just crack in your mouth”, as you witness in the video below.

ARRA Sugar Drop Technogreen
ARRA Sugar Drop Technogreen
ARRA Sugar Drop at Blue Nile
ARRA Sugar Drop at Blue Nile

Egypt Throwback

Last year, the Grapa team in Egypt organized ARRA field days presenting the newest generation of ARRA Varieties. Enjoy a recap of the ARRA Egypt experience.

Creation is our Nature- It's Breeding Time!

Shachar Karniel the breeder of the ARRA Varieties and the breeding team have gathered at the ARRA breeding site in California to conduct the annual cross-breeding procedure, creating and evaluating new selections of ARRA varieties. The market preferences for table grape consumption are very dynamic and predicting future market trends is difficult. Developed by a natural process of cross-breeding, the ARRA program is continuously expanding to create table grape varieties that meet the ever-changing demands of the marketplace. We have set out to create table grape varieties that boast unique advantages, such as having the earliest white, red, and black selection in the world.

NL 395 FMT_0006_PHOTO-2024-05-08-20-53-05
NL 395 FMT_0008_PHOTO-2024-05-08-20-53-06

Aiming for future ARRA: loved by farmers and consumers

Being part of a generation-long farming family, we also devote ourselves to creating varieties that farmers love to grow and consumers love to eat. We are proud to produce varieties known for their short cycles which translates to early harvest and economic efficiency. The result is new varieties that are more sustainable and efficient and also feature high yields and long shelf life.

In light of the world’s climate change and extreme weather conditions, the ARRA varieties, grown globally, in diverse climates and conditions, proudly offer a solution to benefit the growers and allow them to overcome challenges like rain and minimize the risks they face.

ARRA Field Days - The best is yet to come

All this exciting creation comes into play at the annual ARRA California Field Days. When we have the exclusive opportunity to share the captivating selection of ARRA creation with our partners and colleagues.
This is the best time and place to experience all that the ARRA program has to offer, with tailor-made tours at the ARRA breeding site and commercial vineyards. 

Let's talk about ARRA

This is a busy time for the ARRA varieties in Italy. Although the Italian ARRA grapes are not yet being harvested, the ARRA brand was represented at the Macfrut Exhibition and Table Grape Symposium, which took place in Rimini, Italy.

Marco Tempesta, Agronomist from the AVI team, notes “it has been a great opportunity to meet old and new sub-licensees interested in planting the ARRA varieties. All three days were super busy at the stand with great enthusiasm regarding the table grape sector.” 

The first day of the symposium focused mainly on the technical and genetic aspects of the industry. The AVI team gave a lecture about the ARRA breeding program, emphasizing the agronomic technical support at the disposal of the ARRA growers, ensuring the genetic features of the varieties are fully expressed. They were followed by Azhar Tambuwala from Sahyadri Farms, the ARRA Varieties Exclusive Representative in India, who discussed India and the table grape industry. Azhar recaps: “The fair was very good and had plenty of people from the global industry, with lots of good viewpoints and presentations to learn from. The audience was appreciative to learn of India’s potential, especially as they did not know much about our industry, which is rarely formally spoken of”.

The second day, was more commercially oriented, spotlighting on market and production trends, involving the world’s top players. Carlo Lingua, CEO of AVI, gave an intresting lecture.

AVI Team
AVI Team
Azhar Tambuwala, Sahyadri Farms
Azhar Tambuwala, Sahyadri Farms
Maurizio Simone, AVI team
Maurizio Simone, AVI team
Carlo Lingua, CEO AVI
Carlo Lingua, CEO AVI

Following the successful attendance at Macfrut, we are looking forward for another Italian industry event: Fruitnet Grape Congress taking place in Bari, Puglia, Southern Italy. Puglia has been a commercial center for table grapes for many decades, and now is a center of renewal in varieties and growing practices, also including ARRA varieties. The congress highlight will be guided field visits to local vineyards.

See you there!

Fruitnet Grape Congress- Bari, Italy

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“The ARRA Passion Fire was probably the most beautiful red grapes around on our farms.”

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