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Published on May 19, 2026, in FreshPlaza

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Advancing the early window of Mexican table grapes

As the Mexican table grape season ramps up, early Sonoran harvests are making their way to market, with first arrivals landing in late April/early May. For Divine Flavor and its parent company Grupo Alta, the 2026 season marks a milestone with the first harvests of ARRA Honey Pop™.

Developed in partnership with Grapa Global, ARRA Honey Pop represents years of collaborative trials aimed at redefining early-season grape expectations.

“We are seeing breakthroughs in grape varietal development and innovation within the category—whether it’s sweeter, larger grapes, improved harvest timing, or refined flavor profiles,” said Alan Aguirre Camou of Divine Flavor. “ARRA Honey Pop is the type of early-season white seedless grape we’ve been looking for, and while this year’s crop is still limited as we continue expanding plantings, we’ve been impressed with what we’ve seen so far in our vineyards. The fruit has shown outstanding sweetness, crunch, and flavor.”

“Our genetics have made true earliness possible without compromising quality,” said Shachar Karniel, breeder at Grapa Global. “There has long been an assumption that early-season grapes cannot fully develop texture and flavor, but with this new generation—including ARRA Honey Pop™, ARRA Fire Kiss™, and ARRA Fire Crunch™—we’re proving that both sweetness and crunch can be fully realized.”

From a commercial standpoint, ARRA Honey Pop has demonstrated post-harvest performance. “Our genetics allowed us to avoid common issues like browning, which is often associated with muscat-flavored grape varieties,” Karniel added.

“The grape has a clean, creamy appearance and strong berry attachment, making it ideal for export,” said Nomi Karniel-Padan, commercial director at Grapa Global. “When you bite into it, you get that firm, crunchy texture with a light honeydew flavor that consumers really respond to.”

For growers within Divine Flavor and Grupo Alta’s network, one of the advantages has been operational simplicity. Unlike many early varieties that require multiple harvest passes, ARRA Honey Pop can often be picked in a single pass, ensuring uniform maturity and quality.

This partnership is also setting the stage for a broader early-season lineup.

“The ‘Grapa Red Factor’ is truly a gamechanger,” said Karniel-Padan. “It begins with ARRA Fire Kiss, followed by ARRA Fire Crunch, creating a much-needed early-season red offering for the industry.”

ARRA Fire Kiss offers full red color, balanced sweetness, and a complete eating experience at the front end of the season. It is followed by ARRA Fire Crunch, which delivers exceptional crispness and a vibrant red color that maintains its brightness.

While ARRA Honey Pop remains in its early stages of production in Mexico, the promising results seen this season have reinforced Divine Flavor and Grupo Alta’s commitment to expanding plantings and continuing investment in next-generation early-season grape varieties.

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.