They always say no two grape seasons are the same.  That was the “understatement of the year”, this year.  Everyone in the industry was expecting the smallest crop in 18 years, and in some cases that was true, however, in some cases it wasn’t.  Crop sizes varied greatly throughout the Eastern Region with some growers picking as little as 1.5 tons per acre, while some picked as much as 10 or 12.  Other Processors in the region agreed with us that this was the most difficult year in history to predict crop size. 

In any event, Cliffstar managed to receive all the grapes we needed, and did it in another near flawless manner.  The communication and cooperation between all departments involved resulted in another successful season.  This is even more significant this year because we received more grapes than we originally expected.  There were a lot of last minute adjustments that had to be made to receive this crop, but everyone involved responded very well.  We are very appreciative of all the associates who volunteered to work three Sundays in a row.  Without that cooperation our season would not have been nearly as successful, and would have caused many problems for our growers. 

There is concern by many in the industry about rising inventories and declining prices of Concord juice.  This is due primarily to the huge acreage and crops of California red and white grapes.  Many juice makers are using these low price substitutes in their products.  Cliffstar, however, is committed to the Eastern Concord industry and will make every effort to continue our growth by shipping product made from locally grown grapes throughout the country. 

Jim Gloss

Director, Fruit Procurement