2026 Fresno State Grape Day California’s grape industry came together at Fresno State Grape Day to explore the latest research, innovations and management practices shaping the future of viticulture. From vineyard technology and sustainable growing methods to networking with industry professionals, the biennial event gave growers and researchers the opportunity to share ideas and discover new tools for success.
Tag: California Grapes
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California Table Grape Commission Launches a New Global Campaign as the Season Arrives Early
The California table grape season is on track to arrive about two weeks early, signaling that grapes from California will be available for promotion longer than previous seasons. Each season begins in the Coachella Valley, where growers are expecting to begin harvesting at the beginning of May this year. An early start to harvesting in the San Joaquin Valley is also expected to begin in mid-June.
“California grapes have always enjoyed a long season, with grapes often being promoted into January, but an early start to the season this year lets retailers get a head start on promotions and providing tasty, healthy, happy Grapes from California to eager customers,” said Commission President Ian LeMay.
For the 2026 season, the Commission is launching an updated global marketing campaign throughout the U.S. and up to 22 export markets, targeting the trade — which includes retailers, wholesalers and importers, as well as primary shoppers — with the objective to drive demand for California table grapes. The updated campaign introduces retailers and consumers to a cast of characters known as the Lunchbox League. The Lunchbox League is a trio of superhero grapes that originate from California, where tasty fuels healthy, and healthy makes happy. Captain Cluster, Munch and Glow are the superheroes who make up the Lunchbox League and serve as the embodiment and personification of all the health benefits, taste, and quality of California grapes.
“This campaign element is exciting because it capitalizes on the scientific perspective published by Dr. John Pezzuto in July 2025, which claimed grapes should be considered a superfood, in order to give the Lunchbox League their superhero status,” said LeMay.
Dr. Pezzuto, Ph.D., D.Sc., is a leading resveratrol and cancer researcher and Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Western New England University.
To drive demand for California grapes through the season, the commission works with retail partners on a variety of activities such as contests, digital promotions, merchandising, point-of-purchase materials and sampling. For retailers in the U.S. with registered dietitians on staff, the commission Retail RD Program offers an additional way to promote Grapes from California and highlight the health benefits of grapes to shoppers. Retail dietitians can work directly with the commission dietitian team to develop customized promotional activities and educational materials.
“With a healthy crop arriving early and an engaging new campaign with demand-driving materials and activities, the commission is eager to work with retailers throughout the U.S. and around the world to move California table grape volume this season,” said LeMay.
— Story provided by the California Table Grape Commission
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Research Suggests Fresh Grapes are a Superfood
A new article appearing in the current issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry explores the concept of “superfoods” and makes a case that fresh grapes have earned what should be a prominent position in the superfood family. The author, leading resveratrol and cancer researcher John M. Pezzuto, Ph.D., D.Sc., Dean of the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Western New England University, brings forth an array of evidence to support his perspective on this issue.
As noted in the article, the term “superfood” is a common word without an official definition or established criteria. Mainstream superfoods are typically part of the Mediterranean Diet and generally rich in natural plant compounds that are beneficial to a person’s health. Pezzuto addresses the broader topic of superfoods in detail, then makes the scientific case for grapes, noting that fresh grapes are underplayed in this arena and often not included with mention of other similar foods, such as berries.
Grapes are a natural source of over 1,600 compounds, including antioxidants and other polyphenols such as flavonoids, anthocyanidins, catechins, phenolic acids, resveratrol, and more. Polyphenols are credited with the health benefits of grapes, via antioxidant activity and influencing cellular processes. It is the whole grape and the unique matrix of these compounds within it that creates the biological effects, not a single component.
Over sixty peer-reviewed studies have been published in the scientific literature on grapes and health. The role of grapes on cardiovascular health is well established, including promoting relaxation of blood vessels and healthy circulation, as well as modulating cholesterol levels. Clinical trials also show that grapes support brain health (help maintain healthy brain metabolism and beneficial impacts on cognition), skin health (enhanced resistance to UV radiation and DNA damage in skin cells), gut health (modulating the gut microbiome and increasing diversity in the gut), and eye health (retinal impact via increase in macular pigment optical density). Finally, in the realm of nutrigenomics – the study of foods on gene expression in the body – grape consumption has been shown to positively alter gene expression in relevant body systems. Pezzuto suggests that it is these activities at the genetic level that are likely the
driving force behind the health benefits of grapes.
“Dr. Pezzuto shows that based on the science, grapes are indeed a superfood, and should be recognized as such,” said Ian LeMay, president of the California Table Grape Commission, “and we are hopeful that using this nomenclature in association with grapes becomes common practice. Luckily, whether consumed for health or sheer enjoyment as a healthy snack, eating California grapes is a win for consumers.”
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Supermarket Dietitian Program Features California Grapes
For the last three months of 2021, retail dietitians shared tempting ideas for incorporating California grapes into meals with their clients in four states.
Nine registered dietitians and licensed food nutritionists from a large grocery chain highlighted California grapes from October through December in 168 stores in Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, and Delaware. Dietitians held in-person and online classes designed to inspire their customer clientele with creative ways to use California grapes, including building a better charcuterie board. Among other things, the team of dietitians used blog posts and podcasts, social media, and an “Ask the Expert” column in Savory magazine to tempt consumers with grape usage and recipe ideas.
“The outreach the dietitians conducted was broad and deep,” said Karen Hearn, vice president of domestic marketing for the California Table Grape Commission. “It was also beautifully done, full of enticing ideas and mouthwatering photos. The work was tied to retail promotions and we know it helped motivate consumers to purchase. The program will serve as a model for future work.”
Hearn noted that the timing of the promotion was important because over 45 percent of the California grape crop shipped October through December.