Grapa Varieties / ARD

Grapa Varieties (merged since 2025 under the unified entity Grapa Global, LLC) and the American research and breeding center Agricultural Research and Development, LLC (ARD) form an international family-owned breeding and licensing alliance specializing in the development, patent protection, and global commercial licensing of the ARRA™ series of table grape cultivars. ARD's primary breeding and testing facility is located in Bakersfield (California, USA), while the international intellectual property management and licensing office is situated in Kfar Saba (Israel).

History and Key Researchers

The roots of the program trace back to the Israeli farming family Karniel, engaged in viticulture since 1882. Fourth-generation grape grower and prominent Israeli breeder Shachar Karniel initiated active table grape hybridization in 1990. In 1993, he joined one of the oldest family-owned agribusiness corporations in the United States, California-based Giumarra Vineyards Corporation.

In 1999, Shachar Karniel and Giumarra Vineyards jointly established the research company ARD (Agricultural Research and Development, LLC) in California to breed new grape cultivars, while the Karniel family founded Grapa to commercialize the first successful variety, Early Sweet™, and subsequently introduce the entire ARRA™ line to global markets (with Giumarra traditionally managing North American rights and Grapa Varieties overseeing all other continents). Operational leadership, global business development, and marketing at Grapa are directed by fifth-generation family members—Chief Executive Officer Rafi Karniel and Vice President Adi Karniel.

In June 2025, the Karniel and Giumarra families announced a restructuring and the establishment of a single parent company, Grapa Global, LLC, headquartered in California, consolidating the ARRA breeding program (operating on a 160-acre testing facility), intellectual property rights, and technical support for licensees across 35 countries on six continents.

Main Breeding Directions

• Breeding for ultra-early and early ripening: Development of seedless cultivars with a short vegetative cycle capable of producing high yields and marketable coloration within the earliest calendar windows.
• Climatic plasticity and rain tolerance: Breeding genotypes resistant to berry cracking following rainfall, as well as adapted to extremely hot and arid climates.
• Low-input cultivation efficiency: Selection of cultivars with naturally loose clusters and large berries that require minimal manual labor for thinning and minimal application of plant growth regulators.

Most Notable Releases of the ARRA Program

• ARRA 15 (ARRA Sweeties™): An early white seedless cultivar with large, elongated berries (caliber over 22 mm), crisp flesh, and superior transportability.
• ARRA 29 (ARRA Passion Fire™): An early red seedless cultivar with large berries (22–24 mm), distinguished by rapid natural coloration and firm flesh.
• ARRA 30 (ARRA Sugar Drop™): An ultra-early white seedless cultivar with elongated berries (22 × 35 mm) and an exceptionally crisp pulp texture.
• ARRA 32 (ARRA Mystic Dream™): A large-berried (24–26 mm) late-ripening black seedless cultivar with high resistance to autumn rainfall.
• ARRA 33 (ARRA Honey Pop™): An early white seedless cultivar with large, elongated berries and a pronounced honey-muscat aroma.
• ARRA 34 (ARRA YUM!BO™): A red seedless cultivar featuring very large, elongated berries (24–26+ mm) and crisp, sweet flesh.
• ARRA 13 (ARRA Passion Star™) and ARRA 28 (ARRA Passion Punch™): Red seedless cultivars with a pronounced fruity (apple-like) flavor note.
• ARRA 35 (ARRA Fire Crunch™) and ARRA 36 (ARRA Cherry Crush™): The newest red seedless cultivars offering enhanced resilience to adverse weather conditions.