The gʀᴀᴘᴇs are picked beginning in late August and continuing through September. They are at their sweetest during this time of the year. Field workers manually select bunches of gʀᴀᴘᴇs and deposit them on paper trays that are spread out on the ground in between the vine rows. The soil in the space between the rows is leveled to create a decent surface for the trays.

The gʀᴀᴘᴇs are allowed to dry on the trays for two to four weeks, depending on the weather. The gʀᴀᴘᴇ’s moisture content drops from 75% to under 15% during this period, and the fruit’s color shifts to a brownish purple. The trays are rolled at night to reduce sand buildup and guard against raisin moth infestation. An ingredient inserted in the paper trays eliminates insects that could harm the gʀᴀᴘᴇs while they dry. The paper trays are rolled up around the raisins to create a package when the fruit has dried. Before being driven by truck to a processing facility, the rolls are gathered and kept in boxes or bins.

The rolls of fruit are shaken to eliminate dirt and other foreign objects as they are poured out onto wire screens at the manufacturing facility. They are also examined to make sure they adhere to the predetermined standards. Only the graded raisins that are standard can be utilized right away.

Depending on the requirements of the company, some of the fruit may be transferred to the production lines or preserved for further processing. If the raisins need to be relocated for storage, they are stacked in temporary storage structures outside the factory. Polyethylene sheets attached to timber frames are used to build these enclosures. They are designed to be snug enough to contain the fumigation gasses that are administered on a regular basis to prevent the proliferation of insects. 

Let’s take a look at raisin making process in the video below:

Source: Noal Farm

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