We’re grateful for our wonderful group of talented, motivated and good-hearted people, who help us steer Grapa into the future with professionalism, passion and dedication. Our great team has a true international flavor, with staff coming from many countries, including; Brazil, Canada, Cuba, England, France, Germany, Greece, Romania, Russia, and the United States.
Shachar Karniel
President
Shachar is the breeder of ARRA™ and Early Sweet™ table grape varieties. As a 4th generation farmer whose family have been producing grapes since 1882, Shachar’s vast experience in table grape agriculture led him to launch and manage the breeding programme at Giumarra Vineyards Corporation under its subsidiary, ARD LLC (Agricultural Research & Development LLC). Shachar develops innovative table grape varieties, the best of which are commercialized globally by Grapa Varieties under the ARRA brand.
Rafi Karniel
CEO
Rafi is the driving force behind Grapa’s vision, goals and corporate strategy. Since 2009, he has led Grapa’s remarkable growth and evolution. Rafi holds a B.A. in Law and a Masters in Law and Business Management. In April 2017, Rafi was elected to the Board of CIOPORA, an international breeders’ association. With Rafi’s vision to consolidate and unite industry stakeholders to enforce global IP protection, The Breeders’ Alliance Company was born in 2019. As one of the four founding members, Rafi holds a Board seat as well.
Nomi Karniel-Padan
Commercial Director
Utilizing her vast experience in international marketing, together with a childhood spent in the family vineyards, Nomi leads Grapa’s marketing and brand positioning strategy, ensuring Grapa’s place in the international table grape industry as a leading company in the development and commercialization of new table grape varieties. Nomi has a B.A. in Marketing.
Adi Karniel
Director
Together with Shachar, Adi develops the future ARRA varieties under the auspices of the ARD breeding programme.
Vered Karniel
Finance Director
Vered directs our financial department and manages the logistics of Grapa’s extensive international travel and affairs abroad. In addition, she is responsible for coordinating our seminars, meetings and events, both frontal and virtual.
Uzi Yaron
R & D Director
Uzi is an agronomist and highly experienced farmer, holding degrees in political science, history and plant science. He has worked very closely with the ARRA programme and Karniel family for the past twenty years. Utilizing his vast experience and knowledge, Uzi contributes to the creation of new growing techniques and their implementation. As Grapa’s R&D Director, Uzi supports all of Grapa’s technical matters worldwide.
Alexandra Sapir
Chief Legal & Strategic Affairs Officer
From her previous role as Grapa’s Legal Affairs Director which she held for more than nine years, Alex took the role of Chief Operating and Legal Affairs Officer at Grapa as of January, 2023. She holds a B.A. in Law and a Master’s in Business Administration. As of October 2020, Alex was also appointed the Chair of the Working Group on Enforcement of CIOPORA, an international breeders’ association.
Andre Vermaak
Global Tech Support Advisor
Andre started his career in the fresh produce industry 4 decades ago as a table grape producer in South Africa. His career continued in Aussenkehr, Namibia, where he managed and established mega table grape farms. With his knowledge in the field and vision of the evolving industry, Andre played a pioneering role in the Namibian scene of new cultivar developments. In the last few years, Andre’s focus exceeded the borders of Namibia, sharing his expertise with table grape growers in all corners of the world. As Grapa’s Global Tech Support Advisor, he provides all necessary agro-technical-operational guidance to the ARRA producers near and far, to lead them to optimal quality and success.
Georgios Bitsakos
Head of Brand Marketing
With a long retail career of more than 14 years at Tesco, Georgios brings a wealth of expertise in sourcing from diverse global regions, with great knowledge of fresh produce categories and a true passion for grapes.
Harnessing his background, Georgios’ role as Head of Brand Marketing is to catalyze the recognition of Grapa varieties within markets. His market knowledge further facilitates the spread of consumer trends and preferences to the community of ARRA growers worldwide.
Keren Mizrahi
Agronomy Operations Manager
Keren manages the breeding program technical analysis and project coordination.
In addition, she is responsible for obtaining and reviewing all technical data relating to IP and the protection of the ARRA varieties.
Keren is an agronomist and holds a B.Sc. in Plant Science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Leticia Sivan
Technical Data
Leticia is responsible for the analysis, processing and recording of all Grapa’s agrotechnical data collected from our licensees and partners worldwide. She is in charge of creating diverse technical material and reports
Gaby Mitrani
Agrotechnical Coordinator
Gaby coordinates all international shipping and quarantine procedures and is responsible for the data analysis of test block evaluations worldwide. Gaby holds a B.Sc. in Microbiology from the University of Havana, Cuba.
Nicole Klein
Business Development Manager
Nicole manages the networking of Grapa’s ever growing business opportunities; extending, strengthening and maximizing the company’s horizons worldwide. Working closely with the COO and CEO, she coordinates the planning and execution of Grapa’s key projects.
Gittel Marcus
Head of IT
Gittel manages Grapa’s data architecture and visualization, together with CRM customization, web design and IT administration. In addition, she is responsible for the graphic design of all our marketing materials.
Viktoria Kinel
IT Specialist
As an IT Specialist at Grapa, Viktoria supports security initiatives, system administration, data management, and app development. She contributes to the continuous improvement of Grapa’s IT environment.
Sigal Arbel
Senior Bookkeeper
Sigal is a certified tax consultant responsible for maintaining and supervising the financial Grapa’s records. Sigal also plays a key role in supporting the company-wide implementation of the ERP system.
Elza Valeeva
Finance Assistant
Elza supports the financial and administrative operations at Grapa. She manages invoicing and collection processes, liaising directly with international clients. Her responsibilities also include financial data entry and reporting across multiple platforms.
Tammy Aviad-Eshel
Commercial Development Manager
Tammy’s primary responsibility is to enhance Grapa’s commercial relations and drive growth while solidifying the ARRA brand in the marketplace. With her vast experience at the company, over the past 8 years, she continues to develop and implement effective plans that position Grapa as a leading player in the industry.
Yael Zaviv
Marketing & Content Manager
Yael masterfully crafts all of Grapa’s content for online publications, articles, and newsletters, ensuring each piece reflects our brand identity and aligns with our objectives. In addition, Yael leads key marketing projects, including market trend analysis and brand awareness initiatives, to achieve our business goals.
Erika Rossi
Community & Social Media Manager
Erika manages Grapa’s continuously expanding global community, fostering connections through digital engagement and client relations. She is responsible for the majority of Grapa’s online presence, which includes curating website content, updating social media, and graphic design. Additionally, Erika oversees client interactions leading up to and during exhibitions, field days, and key industry events, ensuring a seamless experience for our dynamic community.
Yarden Enacab
Head of Licensing & Enforcement
Yarden leads Grapa’s global licensing operations and oversees the protection and enforcement of its intellectual property rights. She holds an LL.B. (Dean’s List) and an LL.M. Prior to joining Grapa, Yarden practiced law at a top-tier law firm, where she gained extensive experience in complex, cross-border intellectual property matters spanning both transactions and litigation.
Sherry Freudenreich
Licensing Administrator
Sherry carries out an array of duties pertaining to preparation of licenses while liaising with the extensive global agent network. Additionally she manages all the company’s legal data.
Lukas Weindorf
Legal Data Coordinator
Lukas is responsible for collecting and processing plantation data reports related to our licensed growers. Additionally he is in charge of the Gesvatec labeling system which allows for worldwide traceability of the varieties that Grapa represents.
Emma Toledano
Head of IP Department
Emma manages the IP Portfolio of the table grape varieties represented by Grapa, including the registration of patents, plant breeders’ rights and trademarks. She holds an LLB (hons) in Law and has 20 years’ experience in the IP field.
Irina Blokh
IP Assistant
Irina offers comprehensive support and assistance for Grapa’s Intellectual Property Portfolio, including preparing applications to ensure the global protection of ARRA grape varieties.
Liron Nahum
IP Assistant
Liron offers comprehensive support and assistance for Grapa’s Intellectual Property Portfolio, including preparing applications to ensure the global protection of ARRA grape varieties.
Emma Toledano
Head of IP Department
Emma manages the IP Portfolio of the table grape varieties represented by Grapa, including the registration of patents, plant breeders’ rights and trademarks. She holds an LLB (hons) in Law and has 20 years’ experience in the IP field.
Irina Blokh
IP Assistant
Irina offers comprehensive support and assistance for Grapa’s Intellectual Property Portfolio, including preparing applications to ensure the global protection of ARRA grape varieties.
Liron Nahum
IP Assistant
Liron offers comprehensive support and assistance for Grapa’s Intellectual Property Portfolio, including preparing applications to ensure the global protection of ARRA grape varieties.
Tammy Aviad-Eshel
Commercial Development Manager
Tammy’s primary responsibility is to enhance Grapa’s commercial relations and drive growth while solidifying the ARRA brand in the marketplace. With her vast experience at the company, over the past 8 years, she continues to develop and implement effective plans that position Grapa as a leading player in the industry.
Yael Zaviv
Marketing & Content Manager
Yael masterfully crafts all of Grapa’s content for online publications, articles, and newsletters, ensuring each piece reflects our brand identity and aligns with our objectives. In addition, Yael leads key marketing projects, including market trend analysis and brand awareness initiatives, to achieve our business goals.
Shai Paz
Community Manager
Shai manages Grapa’s continuously expanding global community, fostering connections through digital engagement and client relations. She is responsible for the majority of Grapa’s online presence, which includes curating website content, updating social media, and graphic design. Additionally, Shai oversees client interactions leading up to and during exhibitions, field days, and key industry events, ensuring a seamless experience for our dynamic community.
Yarden Enacab
Head of Licensing and Enforcement
Yarden leads Grapa’s global licensing operations and oversees the protection and enforcement of its intellectual property rights. She holds an LL.B. (Dean’s List) and an LL.M. Prior to joining Grapa, Yarden practiced law at a top-tier law firm, where she gained extensive experience in complex, cross-border intellectual property matters spanning both transactions and litigation.
Sherry Freudenreich
Licensing Administrator
Sherry carries out an array of duties pertaining to preparation of licenses while liaising with the extensive global agent network. Additionally she manages all the company’s legal data.
Lukas Weindorf
Legal Data Coordinator
Lukas is responsible for collecting and processing plantation data reports related to our licensed growers. Additionally he is in charge of the Gesvatec labeling system which allows for worldwide traceability of the varieties that Grapa represents.