From left, Jack Pandol, Craig Stoller, David Cain and Glen Stoller joined forces to form International Fruit Genetics.
If it is possible to take the grape – that tasty staple of school lunch- ing partnership IFG formed in 2000 between Grapery and Sunridge es and make it the coolest snack on the cafeteria, then third-generation Nursery. Kern County grape grower Jack Pandol is the one to do it. By thinking Sweet Surrender, an early black seedless grape boasts plum-like outside the crate and having fun with the tiny fruit, his innovations, flavors; Sweet Sunshine is an elongated green fruit. The goal is to he hopes, might change consumer perceptions in the process. “Today, achieve memorable taste and flavor, enhanced by christening them when you go to the grocery store, you with memorable names as well. see red grapes, green grapes, and it is But breeding new table grape varieta little boring,” Pandol said. “We now ies is a tricky dance. Cotton Candy, for have the opportunity to revolutionize that example, was developed and patented Table grape nutrition facts whole category and make it exciting.” by IFG in Delano over the course of a Serving Size 3/4 cup (126 g/4.5 oz.) His company, Grapery, and its breeddecade. It was created under an exclusive Amount Per Serving ing partner International Fruit Genetics, contract with an unlikely dance partner: Calories 90 is developing never-before seen and the University of Arkansas. “At the time tasted varieties, upping their cool factor [Arkansas] were breeding table grapes Calories from Fat 0 with fun names like Cotton Candy in the in an area you would never think could,” % Daily Value* hopes of having the grapes available to Pandol said. “We brought some of their Total Fat 0.3g 0% consumers year ‘round as well. plant material and incorporated it with Saturated Fat 0.1g 1% He learned the family business from our advanced table grape, and the result his grandfather Stjepe who emigrated was Cotton Candy.” He added that it Cholesterol 0mg 0% from Croatia at the turn of the century actually took 40 years of traditional Sodium 15mg 1% and farmed his first vineyard in the breeding at the University of Arkansas to Potassium 240mg 8% fertile San Joaquin Valley and helped combine the flavors of native eastern US Total Carbohydrates 23g 8% his father, Jack Sr., and uncles, grow the grapes with the quality traits of seedlessbusiness into a worldwide producer of ness, crisp texture and thin skins of those Dietary Fiber 1g 4% table grapes and an international industry grown here. By using traditional breeding Sugars 20g leader. He left the family business when methods to cross the very best CaliforProtein 0g Gov. Wilson appointed him to serve on nia grape varieties with only the most the California Environmental Protection flavorful parent material of those bred in Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 2% Agency. In 1996 following the threeArkansas, the endeavor is adding a new Calcium 2% Iron 0% year term, Pandol branched out on his chapter to the history of the table grape. * Based on a 2,000 calorie diet own and founded the Grapery, while “It took the unique flavors and incorpomaintaining ties to his family’s busirated with good shipping techniques to ness, Pandol Brothers Inc., and working maintain firmness.” closely with them. Cotton Candy was their first commercial trial and the first harvest Together with partner Jim Beagle, Grapery grows and develops is still three years out, he says. And it really does taste like the carnival classic varieties like Crimson Seedless and Red Globe and develops favorite. Other cultivars are still in the pipeline undergoing rigorous new varieties, three of which are currently in trials. Sweet Sunshine, testing and have yet to be named, like Raspberry Lemonade with a Sweet Surrender and Sweet Celebration are the result of the breedContinued on page 92 www.BakersfieldLife.com
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