Fruit World, a grower and shipper of California fruit —including organic and conventional citrus, organic grapes,and organic stone fruit – , has announced the start of its California grape season, delivering a program that provides consistent flavor, variety, and a direct line to the farm.
"We've increased production of our specialty grape varieties,” shares Bianca Kaprielian, co-founder and CEO of Fruit World. “We aim to cultivate a small yet mighty – primarily specialty – grape program that will delight our customers with unique flavors."
Fruit World’s grape program features different varieties and runs from late July through October. The season starts with grapes from organic pioneer Pete Wolf, one of California's first certified organic grape farmers. These heritage vines produce black, red, and green fruit.
The next to ramp up is the organic Thomcord. This cross between the juicy Concord grape and the tender-skinned Thompson seedless grape results in a “multigenerational crowd-pleasing flavor.”
"The Thomcord grape's deliciously intense flavor has been a hit, and the strong sales prove its popularity,” says Kaprielian.
Rounding out the Fruit World program is the Kyoho, a Japanese gem that grows in round, uniform bunches packed with flavor. The Kyoho variety is wildly popular in Asian markets but has quickly become mainstream due to its sweet and subtle tang, making it a perfect ingredient for desserts and cocktails.
For more sustainable practices, Fruit World transitioned their grape program out of plastic pouch bags and into more environmentally-friendly paper tote bags.
“More than 60% of Thomcords moved into our recyclable and compostable paper totes, meeting our customers’ appetite to reduce plastic waste,” Kaprielian adds.
To further engage consumers, Fruit World includes a comment card in each retail pack of their Organic Thomcord seedless grapes. The card tells the story of Co-Founder CJ Buxman and why he grows the grape. The cards show a phone number and invite to text their ‘Thomcord Tales’ experience and to share questions, feedback, or comments.
“We answer each text personally, engaging directly with the consumer and taking part in their Fruit World experience first-hand. Their stories are heartfelt, their feedback is genuine, and the opportunity for live interaction with consumers is incomparable,” shares Kaprielian.
