This new grape variety from SA is taking global markets by storm

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The Arra Honey Pop is turning out to be a standout innovation from Grapa Varieties’ Arra breeding programme.

This early-season white grape is gaining traction for its exceptional quality, marketability, and grower-friendly characteristics.

More importantly, it has shown fantastic storage ability during commercial export.

The Arra Honey Pop has already begun harvesting in South Africa’s northern provinces, despite challenging weather conditions, including heatwaves and hailstorms.

“Arra Honey Pop is the earliest new-generation white grape, allowing producers and marketers to reach the markets first,” Rafi Karniel, CEO and chairman of Grapa Varieties, told Fruitnet during a recent visit to South Africa.

“The genetics of the new generation Arra programme offers solutions for emerging challenges,” he continued.

“The Arra Honey Pop harvest has started in the earliest regions, and the quality is looking exceptional.”

This varietal is part of Grapa’s broader strategy to introduce innovative grapes that address growers’ needs.

Karniel emphasised that the Arra Honey Pop is not only easy to grow, but also meets the high standards of international retailers and consumers.

Support for growers

The launch of the Arra Honey Pop is part of a larger collaboration between Grapa Varieties and South Africa’s TopFruit.

AJ Jansen van Vuuren, table grape manager at South Africa’s TopFruit, noted that while cold spells have affected the Western Cape’s grape crops, proactive measures have ensured the vineyards remain on track.

“Our technical teams have been proactive in assisting growers with countermeasures for this, and we can report that at this stage, the vineyards are looking very good,” he noted.

”In the coming weeks, we’ll be able to observe grape development closely and provide feedback on the anticipated quality.”

Global appeal

The Arra Honey Pop’s success is a testament to South Africa’s growing reputation for innovative grape breeding. Other Arra varieties like Arra Sweeties and Arra Passion Fire have further strengthened the country’s competitive edge in the global table grape market.

Regarding red grape varieties, Karniel highlighted the new Arra Fire Kiss as a standout, describing it as “unique” for its exceptionally short growing cycle, natural full-colour development, and outstanding eating qualities.

“In Egypt, it is showing very positive performance, ripening as early as, or even earlier than Flame Seedless,” Karniel added.

“First arrivals from Egypt to the UK have generated much interest and great feedback. So, we can’t wait to see this variety commercialised, soon, in South Africa and Namibia.”