The Oppenheimer Group has been named importer and marketer of Sun World’s proprietary grape varieties.

With the deal, Oppy is set to offer fruit grown in any Southern Hemisphere country in alignment with market demand.

“This is meaningful for Oppy because it broadens our grape portfolio with many of the exciting varieties our customers are seeking,” says Bill Poulos, Oppy’s grape category director. “We’re honored to have been selected among the handful of marketers granted a standard import license, which enables us to partner with a wide span of growers throughout the Southern Hemisphere — and beyond — in this innovative program.”

The new varieties include those marketed under varietal brands such as green AUTUMNCRISP, black MIDNIGHT BEAUTY and red SCARLOTTA SEEDLESS among other promising new grape types. Poulos notes that the new varieties have distinct characteristics like enhanced flavor, crunch, ease of production and shelf life.

In the 2018-19 grape import season, Oppy doubled the volume of new grape varieties it offered from other nurseries as well as the open varieties. With Sun World varieties complementing its current program and creating considerable scale, the team at Oppy will be mapping out retail programs for grapes from South America soon.