Happy Fourth of July: Red, white, and grapes?!

Every summer, as we fire up the grill, enjoy a slice of watermelon, and prepare for fireworks, few of us think about how the crisp grapes on our picnic tables got there.

Behind those sweet clusters lies one of the most complex supply chains in business.

Over the past year, we’ve worked closely with retailers and wholesalers to build data tools that help navigate one of the biggest challenges we face—managing transitions between global supply regions.

These “shoulder seasons” are when quality and availability are most volatile. Getting that handoff right is critical—for both suppliers and buyers.

The table grape industry is a global relay: Chile, Peru, Mexico, and California pass the baton through the year. One region winds down as another ramps up. Our recent visualization maps out this choreography—and it’s a lesson in precision, timing, and adaptability.

Even when grapes travel thousands of miles, they remain as American as ever—because it takes American workers to make the global machine run.

Chilean grapes alone move through key ports like Philadelphia (about 450 million pounds per year), Wilmington (150 million or so per year), and Long Beach (around 200 million).

Behind these ports are networks of drayage providers, cold storage facilities, transportation carriers, consolidators, distribution centers, and retailers. They are the often-invisible backbone that keeps shelves stocked, customers happy, and our industry running.

This Independence Day, I’m reminded that America’s strength isn’t just in its products—it’s in its people—all the hardworking people who enable the everyday abundance of our produce industry.

So raise a glass (and some grapes) to America’s 249th birthday and to the people who make it all possible.