Despite some adverse weather conditions that have resulted in slightly lower yields and a later harvest, a Victorian table grape grower says he has been impressed with the quality and demand in its Japanese market.
“Cloudy and windy days with humid conditions delayed our harvest for about 14-21 days, and yields are about 5-10 per cent lower than previous years,” Budou Farms Co-owner Enrique Rossi said. “Despite this quality is very good. Harvest started with Maylen seedless, which is a new black variety, fully seedless with round berries and a very interesting balance between acidity and Brix, on other hand its bloom, therefore all these qualities we think it is very appealing for some Asian markets and we are open to working for them.”
Budou Farms, in Merbein Victoria, supplies premium grapes primarily into the Japanese market. Mr Rossi added that with it being its first year harvesting with young vines, it is not in its full potential in terms of berry size, but is looking forward to its progress in coming seasons.
“But we managed to have a very consistent (size of) 18-21mm and it is expected next year will be 21-23mm as our older test vines are at that size,” Mr Rossi said. “There is good potential for this variety in any market, good shelf life and flavour to remember and we are open to potential buyers to develop a niche market for it.”
Mr Rossi says that Maylen will be followed by Crimson by early March as colour is developing very well and size ranges from 18-21mm. He added that some were sent to Vietnam with a very good response, and maybe next year opportunities will grow there and in other Asian markets as well.
“Current Brix is around 18, but we like to harvest it at 19-20 for best consumer experience,” he said. “This fruit is very well received by our Japanese customers and consumers as they recognise our brand and they know it is safe and sweet, many moms in Japan have contacted us saying they were scared to try foreign grapes due to their bad experiences with fruit that had visible chemical residue on berries and kids did not enjoy them as were barely sweet, but when they have tried ours, kids loved it, making it a very good snack.”
The challenges ahead are whether logistics will be on time, or even available, as there are fewer vessels going direct to Japan, so space could be tight.
“Other options could be with transhipment and the risk of extended delays,” Mr Rossi said “However, our freight forwarder has been in liaison with shipping lines and we have been working in advance to have a plan for different scenarios, so should be okay.”
For more information
Enrique Rossi
Budou Farms
[email protected]
www.facebook.com/budoufarms
