California table grapes, packed for buyers who run programs.
Red, green, and black seedless varieties from the Coachella and San Joaquin valleys — moved by air on PMC and LD7 ULDs from May through January into the GCC, Turkey, the Caucasus, Central Asia, and South Asia.
The California table grape calendar — two valleys, one season.
California supplies essentially all the U.S. table grape crop. The state's 2024-25 marketing year saw fresh grape exports rise approximately 23% year-over-year to 496.5 million pounds, though Canada and Mexico together account for roughly two-thirds of that volume. The opportunity for the GCC, Turkey, and Central Asia is in the residual third — premium-grade fruit that wants a buyer who can pay for it.
The season opens in the Coachella Valley near the Mexico border. Coachella runs early — typically May into June — and ships the first U.S. reds and greens of the year. Then the harvest moves north to the San Joaquin Valley, which produces the bulk of the crop from July through November. Late-season storage varieties like Autumn King (green) and Allison or Sweet Celebration (red) extend the calendar into December and January.
California acreage has been declining — 120,000 acres in 2024 (a 4% drop from 2023), with three consecutive years of contraction before that, partly driven by water and irrigation damage from Hurricane Hilary. That makes the buyers who lock in committed program capacity with established packers in advance — rather than buying spot — the ones who actually get product when they need it.
When each variety ships.
A program that wants steady reds, greens, and blacks across the season has to cycle through varieties. The transitions matter — a buyer expecting Flame in October will be disappointed. Here's the working calendar.
Pack styles for the channel.
Table grape packaging is more channel-specific than most produce categories. A wholesale market buyer in Aweer or Jeddah wants different physics than a Carrefour buyer in Riyadh.
| Clamshell-in-carton (wholesale + retail) | 18 lb (~8.2 kg) master carton. 6×3 lb or 9×2 lb clamshells inside. The wholesale-program default. |
|---|---|
| Stand-up bag (modern-trade retail) | 19 lb (~8.6 kg) carton with 2-lb stand-up bags. Private-label and branded printing standard. |
| Zipper bag (retail) | 1.5-lb or 1-lb zipper bags. Premium retail program format. |
| Bulk lug (wholesale market) | 18 lb lugs. Aweer and Jeddah wholesale market default. |
| SO2 pad | Standard inside every export carton to suppress gray mold (botrytis). Single-stage or dual-stage; we confirm with the vendor. |
| Grading | USDA Grade No.1 standard for export. Premium grade with stricter berry count, color, and bunch weight for HORECA programs. |
Cold chain — grapes want it cold and humid.
Unlike citrus (don't go too cold) or stone fruit (don't break the chain), grapes are the easy category — as long as you actually hold the temperature. Where shipments fail is on the back end: a packout that wasn't pre-cooled tight, or a cool-room dwell at the airport that drifted up.
| Pre-cool at packout | Forced-air to -0.5 to +0.5°C within hours of pick. Non-negotiable. |
|---|---|
| Cool-room hold | -0.5 to +0.5°C, 90–95% RH. Same temperature as transit. |
| Air cargo ULD set-point | +1 to +2°C target on the ULD label — held at the cool-room reference. |
| Ocean reefer set-point | -0.5 to +0.5°C with controlled atmosphere (CA) where the vessel supports it. Standard reefer otherwise. |
| SO2 fumigation / pad usage | Pad in carton standard. Pre-fumigation occasional for long-transit programs. |
| Tender cut-off discipline | Trucking dispatched against airline perishable acceptance window — no cool-room ambient drift. |
“If the supplier is fuzzy on whether the grapes were forced-air pre-cooled, you can read the answer off the first carton you open. Soft berries, wet pads. Forced-air is what U.S. exporters do — confirm it before you book.”
Where we ship U.S. grapes.
Table grapes are one of the strongest U.S. program categories into the GCC and the broader region. Below is the current lane book — additional destinations evaluated case by case.
Air vs sea — when each makes sense.
Most of our grape book moves by air, but ocean reefer has a real place — especially on high-volume late-season programs where the storage discipline is strong on both ends.
The USME way on table grapes.
- Committed vendor capacity locked before the season opens — not chased week by week.
- Variety calendar agreed in writing so the buyer knows what's shipping when, and the substitution rules if a window slips.
- Pre-cooling and SO2 pad spec confirmed with the packer.
- Cold-chain record kept per ULD — set-point, dwell, tender time.
- Proactive status from PO to arrival — buyer doesn't chase.
- On the rare claim that's real, we work it with the vendor or carrier. No claim inflation needed on either side.
Frequently asked questions
Which U.S. table grape varieties does USME ship?
All the major California programs: red seedless (Flame, Crimson, Scarlet Royal, Sweet Celebration, Allison), green seedless (Sugraone/Superior, Princess, Autumn King, Ivory), and black seedless (Summer Royal, Autumn Royal, Sweet Sapphire). Red Globe (seeded) ships when buyers specifically want it. The variety availability shifts week by week — we confirm what's packing at the time of quote.
When is the U.S. table grape export season?
California runs roughly May through January. Coachella Valley harvests first — typically May–June — for early reds and greens. The San Joaquin Valley then takes over from July through November for the bulk of the season. Late-season storage varieties like Autumn King and Allison ship into January. Outside this window U.S. supply doesn't really exist commercially — the market is filled by Chile, Peru, or South Africa.
Should I ship U.S. grapes by air or by sea?
It depends on the variety, the volume, and the lane. Premium programs into the GCC, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan often move by air — PMC or LD7 ULDs — because of the speed-to-shelf advantage and lower in-transit risk. Large-volume programs into the same markets often move by reefer container at +0 to -0.5°C. USME can run either; the right choice is a function of pricing, urgency, and the buyer's downstream cold chain.
What pack styles are standard for U.S. table grape exports?
18-lb (~8.2 kg) clamshell-style cartons are the workhorse — 6×3 lb or 9×2 lb clamshells inside a master carton. 19-lb bagged cartons (2-lb stand-up bags or 1.5-lb zipper bags) are common for modern-trade retail. Private-label and branded retail packs are standard for chain programs.
What is the cold-chain temperature for U.S. table grapes in transit?
Target is -0.5 to +0.5°C with 90–95% RH. Grapes do not chill-injure at the typical reefer setting — they want it cold and humid. SO2 pads are standard in the pack to suppress botrytis (gray mold) during transit; we confirm the pad spec with the vendor before packout.
Does USME run weekly table grape programs into Saudi Arabia and the UAE?
Yes. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are core markets for our table grape book during the May–January window. Modern-trade chains (Carrefour, Lulu, Spinneys, Panda, Tamimi) and Aweer wholesale buyers run consistent weekly programs through us. Outside the U.S. season we'll point you to other origins if that's what fits your need.
Can USME ship U.S. table grapes to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, or Uzbekistan?
Yes. Central Asia and the Caucasus are growth markets in our book — modern-trade chains in Kazakhstan (Magnum, Small) and Azerbaijan (Bravo, Bizim) have steady demand for premium U.S. varieties. We coordinate the air-cargo lane and the GOST documentation (where applicable) alongside the buyer's customs broker.
What happens if a grape shipment arrives with quality issues?
We don't expect buyers to inflate claims. If a shipment lands with real damage — split berries, gray mold breakthrough, decay beyond reasonable transit allowance — we work the claim with the vendor, the airline, or the handler depending on where the cold-chain record shows the chain broke. See /quality for the full process.