After Emmys: Lights, Cameras, Grapes

FAYETTEVILLE — You didn’t see it onstage during the glitz and glamour of the Emmys, but Arkansas earned a best supporting actor award at the star- studded afterparty.

After the stage lights go down, the stars enjoy Hollywood’s finest dining at the Emmys Governor’s Ball. And right there on the main dish, with the filet of beef, Zephyr squash and kale chips with red wine sauce, were Witch Fingers and Cotton Candy, two California table grapes with Arkansas roots.

International Fruit Genetics developed these varieties from breeding lines licensed from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, said John R. Clark, University Professor of Horticulture, who directs the division’s fruit breeding program.

“It is very exciting to see these unique grape traits at the Emmys,” Clark said, “but more importantly to see these exciting products enter the American market, all from fruit breeding efforts of the University of Arkansas.”

Witch Fingers is a purple grape with an elongated and pointy shape. Cotton Candy is a white grape that tastes exactly as its name suggests. The unique shape and flavor traits of these grapes originated in the Arkansas breeding effort, Clark said.

Both grapes are grown and marketed by Grapery of Bakersfield, Calif.

Grapery markets its products in Arkansas through The Fresh Market and Sam’s Club.

PHOTOS COURTESY U OF A DIVISION OF AGRICULTURE Dr. John R. Clark, University Professor of Horticulture, directs the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture fruit breeding program.