Grapery

I. Company

Agriculture Company established in 1996 in Shafter, California, USA, Grapery grapes are produced in a smart, natural system that enhances the environment and makes a great tasting and healthy product. Their grapes, each and every variety, are grown in Kern and Tulare counties in idyllic California, which provide excellent nutrition, delicious flavour, and a truly delightful eating experience. Their hard work and attention to detail produces a bounty of succulent grapes every season that are not only beautiful inside and out, but are bursting with a one-of-a-kind, memorable flavour.

Their plump, juicy grapes offer world class flavour all by themselves and they make wonderful additions to many dishes. Their commitment to growing the most flavorful grapes makes them ideal for cooking as they maintain their flavour and add to the complexity of any dish. Since they pick their grapes at the peak of ripeness they maintain their integrity for cooking as well. The California Table Grape Commission even holds a contest for the best grape recipes.

II. Founders and Owner

Jack Pandol and Jim Beagle are owners of Grapery.

Jack Pandol and Jim Beagle walk the vineyards daily tasting fruit from each lot before making the final decision that the fruit is ready for harvest.

As founder of the Grapery®, Jack Pandol started his career with his family’s diversified agri-business but pioneered to develop new types of irrigation, fertilization and a different way to train the grape vines so they receive more sunlight and fresh air.

Jack Pandol possesses a widely respected heritage of table grape production. His grandfather Stjepe emigrated from his native Croatia at the early 1900’s and farmed his first vineyard in California’s San Joaquin Valley. The flat terrain and dry, hot summers proved the perfect environment for growing what is known as nature’s oldest cultivated crop.

Working in the fields alongside his father and uncles, Jack learned invaluable insights about all aspects of the business. After earning a degree in Viticulture from UC Davis, he later returned to the family’s vineyard where he would eventually work in management and help to grow the business into a worldwide producer of table grapes. He branched out on his own and founded the Grapery in 1996 following a three-year appointment with the California Environmental Protection Agency.

Jim Beagle grew up in a family that has farmed in California for generations. After an agricultural degree from UC Davis and farming for several years for a prominent California table grape grower, Jim returned to school and received his MBA from Harvard in 2001 before returning to his career and the vineyards.

During harvest time Jack and Jim walk the vineyards every day tasting fruit from each lot before making the final decision that the fruit is ready for harvest. The uniqueness of them as growers is not harvesting all of their grapes at once, but carefully harvest each field several different times, selecting only the very best grapes that are fully ripe and at their absolute peak of flavour.

III. Mission and Vision

A Shared Passion of Perfection with Proud Heritage and Perfect Climate

“FLAVOUR, IT IS IN OUR NATURE”

His goal for the Grapery was simply a matter of taste. Jack Pandol envisioned a table grape so incredibly plump, juicy and delicious that he became laser focused on one thing: Flavor. This unswerving passion has resulted in a company that continues to grow one of the best tasting, all-natural, most highly sought after table grapes on the market today.

Day after day they walk the fields, paying close attention to their grapevines every step of the way. They are more than meticulous. During harvest, their team picks only those grapes that are absolutely, positively ripe and ready to be carefully packed and shipped to the grocery store with the juiciest, best tasting grapes.

From Plant to Plate:

Grapery takes an unique journey from planting their world class delicious table grapes to ultimately grace your table.

Breed Naturally:
Picking the Right Partner: Over 15 years ago Grapery began investing in the breeding of exciting new varieties by a partnership with IFG. They are now literally harvesting the “fruits” of that venture with their newest offerings including Flavor Promise, Moon Drops, Gum Drops, Cotton Candy, Tear Drops and Flavor Pops. Other than these remarkable all-natural grapes, bursting with over-the-top flavour, they are testing in their vineyards with several other exciting new cultivars that will be introduced soon.

Sustainable Farming:
Only by planting varieties that meet their strict criteria they can be confident their customers receive the juiciest, best tasting grapes anywhere. And by meticulously caring for their vines, they also ensure the grapes remain healthy and resistant to pests and disease.

To grow the best-tasting grapes, every detail matters. That’s precisely why at Grapery they spend so much time perfecting their methods. They are patient growers… a new vineyard can take 3 years to produce its first grape. Creating a new varietal can easily take 8 to 10 years or more.

Growing the most flavorful grapes begin even before planting. Because table grapes are not planted from a seed, selecting the perfect rootstock to start the vine from a cutting or graft is critical. By carefully choosing stock that is resistant to disease, Grapery minimizes its need to use crop protection.

The use of an overhead gable trellis system, pioneered by Grapery in sunny California, allows the leaves of the vines more exposure to the sun. The fruit hangs in the shade of the leaves, protected from the damaging rays of direct sunlight. The filtered light and air movement prevents disease, further enhances color and creates an unparalleled rich flavour.

At Grapery, every one of their vineyards uses a water-conserving drip irrigation. They monitor their vines and soil closely, and give precise amounts of water to each plant based on only what they need.

Sustainability from the Ground up:
Grapery’s philosophy of sustainability starts with the soil itself. They apply prodigious amounts of compost under the vines every year. After several years, a thick mulch of fine feeder roots builds up. They sustain the health of the vines by spoon feeding fertilisers mixed with humic and amino acids. Lime, gypsum and dolomite within the water help to build healthy calcium levels. Their team also applies seaweed to the vines and soil, along with other foliar nutrients that enhance vine nutrition. They carefully manage their canopy to increase air movement and position their branches to reduce fungal disease. All of these efforts strengthen the immune system of the vines and help to ward off disease and pests, plus improving the flavour of the fruit substantially.

Supporting Global Economies:
They believe that by using “medicine” appropriately when necessary to protect the crop, Grapery protects the livelihood of their farmworkers and the local economy. When a crop is wiped out by disease or pests, workers don’t work and communities suffer. This is also a critical part of Grapery’s sustainability philosophy. They are dedicated to growing exceptional grapes by sustainable means and with safe and fair labor practices. Together, this creates and supports a vibrant local and regional economy for many years to come.

Protecting Plants, Protecting People:
Grapes break bud in March, bloom in May, and are primarily harvested July through November. Working together, the perfect combination of sun, water and soil create delectable grapes. California’s sunny, hot and dry summers make their grapes the best-tasting fruit …naturally.

Skilled vineyard workers prune every winter to guarantee their grapes art the best they can be. Pruning reduces crop load, and ensures that the remaining fruit will be of the highest quality. Additional crews work diligently to trim and position bunches so they will develop with the proper balance of sun and shade as well as the ultimate in supreme flavour, color and size. In the fall, their workers cover their vines with recycled plastic to protect the fruit from rain so they can harvest later when the flavors reach their absolute peak of flavour.

IV. Produces

Grape Produces:
Products of USA from California, Grapery claims it grows and develops in the most flavorful, all-natural, highest quality table grapes in the world – flavour no other brand can match. Grapery’s product offerings include mouth watering red, green and black grapes, plus several amazing new varieties. In addition, Grapery has some very exciting, new varieties in trials that are extraordinarily unique and delicious. These varieties will lead the way in the next generation of grapes that live up to their flavour promise standards: to be simply the best grapes you’ ll ever taste.

Grapery’s Showcase Varieties: