VANCOUVER, B.C. — The Oppenheimer Group has recently joined forces with grape producer Fazendas Labrunier of São Paulo, Brazil, with a five-year agreement linking its established Northern and Southern Hemisphere grape programs for a solid supply of preferred varieties.  

“Brazil plays a huge role in the autumn and early winter grape marketing period,” said John Anderson, Oppenheimer’s chairman, president and CEO. “The Brazilian grape industry is fairly fragmented, so by aligning with the country’s largest grower we can consistently meet the high demand for quality grapes as California winds down but before the Chilean fruit is available in large volume.”

Oppenheimer has marketed Brazilian grapes for several years but aims to significantly increase imports from that country through the relationship with Labrunier. The move positions Oppenheimer among the top Brazilian grape marketers in North America.

The highest-volume table grape grower in Brazil, Labrunier is comprised of five farms situated in the São Francisco Valley, encompassing 2,400 hectares (roughly 6,000 acres), of which 900 hectares (over 2,200 acres) are allocated for grape production.

“We are pleased to work with a marketer of Oppenheimer’s outstanding reputation,” said Daniel Watanabe, sales director of Labrunier. “The company’s established relationships within the North American retail community will help us successfully build our presence there.”

About 20 percent of the total 2008 production will be exported to North America and represented by Oppenheimer, according to Josh Leichter, the company’s grape category director. The grower operates 13 packing houses and eight cold chambers, with a storage capacity of 1,700 pallets, using the latest technology to control temperature and humidity levels.

“Labrunier is very progressive, and has recently made a significant investment in infrastructure,” he said. “Seven new automatic packing lines have been added in order to triple its capacity to pack grapes in punnets and clamshells, reducing handling and enhancing quality. The electronic color reader, which distinguishes fruit color tones from light to dark green, and two electronic scales, one at the beginning and the other at the end of production line, have been added to enhance consistency and meet customer preferences.”

Labrunier is a subsidiary of Grupo JD. This group of companies is committed to a sustainability policy that includes social projects involving workers and their families, contributing to local development in the Brazilian northeast, a region known for high poverty rates. Its “Adopt a School” project benefits over 4,500 students and about 150 teachers. This sustainable initiative involves also the responsible use of natural resources, like the recent acquisition of new equipment which reduces water consumption from 1,000 liters/hectare to 60 liters/hectare during production.

Based on these focused actions towards quality and sustainability, Labrunier has achieved certifications such as GLOBALGAP, Integrated Fruit Production (PIF), Guarantee of Origin by Carrefour, and Tesco Natural Choice. The company is also in the process of obtaining two other important certifications; British Retail Consortium (BRC) and Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI).

“We’re pleased to welcome Labrunier to the Oppenheimer family of growers,” said Leichter. “Labrunier’s volume and consistent quality will allow us to deliver on program business we develop with our retail customers. We’ll begin shipping Brazilian grapes in October, and will bring the full assortment of varieties to the market through December.”

Currently, Oppenheimer is gearing up for a robust California grape season through its partnerships with some of the best table grape growers in the San Joaquin Valley.

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