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By Grapa Varieties, November 2024

ARRA’s Performance in Brazil: Navigating 2024’s Challenges and Opportunities

As the grape harvest winds down in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere season is kicking off. Brazil stands out as a unique case, being the only region globally that produces grapes year-round, thanks to its unique climate with an average annual temperature of 26°C and abundant water resources. The São Francisco River Valley, located in the semiarid region of Northeast Brazil between Pernambuco and Bahia, serves as the country’s epicenter of table grape production.

Grapa Brazil team

As we approach the end of the second semester, Augusto Prado, President of ARRA Brazil, reflects on the first half of 2024, which was marked by unusual weather patterns. Rainfall exceeded 750 mm, primarily during February and March, leading to a significant production decline of approximately 40%. For the latter half of the year, a further reduction of around 25% is anticipated, due to the effects of these extreme weather patterns.

The impact of extreme weather is not confined to Brazil; similar challenges are being faced globally, particularly in Europe and Australia. However, demand for high-quality grapes remains strong within Brazil as well as in key export markets like Europe.

Currently, Brazilian grapes are entering the European market, when prices are surging with recent heatwaves severely impacting grape yields in Italy, Spain, and Greece. Looking ahead, we expect exports to Europe to ramp up shortly, while the U.S. market may conclude its season earlier than usual, making supplies from Peru critical. While Namibia and South Africa are preparing to begin their harvests, logistical challenges—particularly from Cape Town—remain, though we expect a gradual increase in shipments from Namibia, complementing South African exports.

While the grape market is facing challenges, the combination of strong demand and limited supply suggests that prices are unlikely to drop significantly in the near future. As we navigate these complexities, the resilience of the Brazilian grape sector will play a vital role in shaping the upcoming market landscape.

Beautiful ARRA Sweeties - Agricola Ibatuba

Despite Brazil’s extreme weather, Augusto highlights that the country’s unique growing conditions enable two harvests a year, thanks to the adaptability of ARRA varieties. The ARRA grapes, especially the acclaimed ARRA Sweeties™, thrive even in unpredictable weather, showcasing exceptional fertility and resilience. A star with great demand also in the domestic market, this variety consistently delivers high productivity and quality, thanks to its impressive brix levels and balanced acidity.

Close up of four red seedless grape bunches hanging in a well lit vineyard
Stunning ARRA Cherry Crush on the vine - Frutas Shimabukuru, Special Fruit Group
ARRA Cherry Crush - Royal Grapes Agropecuaria Ltda

The emerging star, ARRA Cherry Crush™, is rapidly gaining popularity. With its strong bud fertility, vibrant color, and high brix. It’s quickly establishing itself as the region’s premier seedless red grape. Demand is outpacing supply, leading to a doubling of plantations in 2023-2024.

Both varieties were excelling this passing semester, with some areas achieving yields over 30t/ha. With specialty packaging options available, growers and retailers can distinguish themselves through quality and presentation, making these two varieties, the perfect match.

10 punnets of the perfect match: white seedless grape variety ARRA Sweeties and red seedless grape variety ARRA Cherry Crush
The perfect match: ARRA Sweeties and ARRA Cherry Crush from Coopexvale

Tony Calvillo, VP of International Business Development at Dayka & Hackett, recently visited ARRA producers in Brazil. He has repeatedly expressed his admiration for the ARRA varieties, particularly the ARRA Cherry Crush. Tony noted its impressive potential, stating that it consistently exceeds the expectations of growers, consumers, and retailers alike.

Tony Calvillo from Dayka & Hackett at Deon Agricola, with Coopexvale team

Exciting times are ahead for the Grapa Brazil team as they prepare for the ARRA Technical Days from November 6th to 9th, where licensed ARRA growers will gather for hands-on technical sessions and share insights ensuring the continued success of ARRA varieties in Brazil.

Stay tuned for more updates as we celebrate the innovation and resilience of ARRA varieties in Brazil.

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ARRA Cherry Crush™

The Crush Everyone’s talking about!

Tony Calvillo, Vice President of International Business Development, Dayka & Hackett LLC, shared: “Today, we visited the ARRA Cherry Crush—a grape variety that exceeds the expectations of growers, consumers, and retailers alike. We are thrilled to witness its remarkable potential. Boasting an alluring cherry colour, impressive size, abundant production, and a perfect balance of taste and crunch, ARRA Cherry Crush creates a mutually beneficial scenario for discerning producers, consumers, and retailers.”

ARRA Fire Crunch™

Igniting the senses

Just in time for the festive season, the inaugural batch of ARRA Fire Crunch™ made its way from Peru to the USA. Karl Conrads, founder, CEO of Grapasa accompanied the first year vines from budbreak all the way to Walmart facilities in Los Angeles.

Don’t miss the footage, showing this landmark arrival, now the sky’s the limit.

ARRA Passion Fire™

Sharing the passion – Right now in Southern Africa:

“It’s a great, beautiful grape, we are having a great time packing it.” shares Gabriel Viljoen of G.P. Viljoen Farming

We’ve heard other growers excited about this year’s performance.

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

ARRA Fire Kiss™

Start the season with a Kiss

This year, attendees got a firsthand look at ARRA Fire Kiss™ in Egypt. What stood out was how distinctly different it was from the Flame, leaving no doubt that it is the perfect Flame replacement.