Ten New Apple Varieties
By Carol Bareuther, RD
Customers enjoy trying new varieties of apples, says Tom Williams, produce senior operations specialist for Cub Foods, a 73-store chain based in Stillwater, MN, and a subsidiary of the Eden Prairie, MN-based SuperValu. “To most successfully introduce new varieties, we use POS signage, advertise with information in the ad about what makes the new variety special or different, offer recipes and most importantly give customers an opportunity to taste sample.”
• 20-Oz: This variety got its name from its big size, says Lee Peters, vice president of sales and marketing for Fowler Bros. Inc., in Wolcott, NY. “Historically, it’s been known as a great apple for pie and sauce-making. It’s ideal for incremental sales.” An heirloom variety, the 20-oz. was first written about back in 1840 when it was showcased in a horticultural show in New York. It harvests in mid-September and is available through December.
• Creston: Developed in British Columbia, and with the Golden Delicious as a parent, the Creston, says Kelly Ciceran, general manager of the Vineland Station-based Ontario Apple Growers, “has been planted and just started testing by some of our growers.” This greenish-yellow apple with red stripes is similar to Jonagold, but firmer and stores better. Harvest starts in early October.
• Divine: A product of Golden Delicious and Grive Rouge parents, and developed and grown in New Zealand, this crisp, sweet, juicy, red-skinned apple will be marketed by Giumarra Companies in Wenatchee, WA.
• HoneySpice: No relation to a Honeycrisp, this cross between a Fuji and Golden Delicious is a striped apple with firm flesh and a sweet flavor with a subtle hint of cinnamon. “This is our third year of sales and we expect to have about 2,500 boxes, or enough to test market,” says Loren Queen, marketing and communications manager for Domex Superfresh Growers LLC, in Yakima, WA, which exclusively grows and markets the variety in North America.
• Kanzi: Originally bred in Europe, this is the second season that Columbia Marketing International Corp. (CMI), in Wenatchee, WA, will market this bright red, juicy, tart-tasting apple that’s a cross between a Braeburn and Gala. “It’s more intense than a Pink Lady and has an explosion of flavor, similar to a sweet tart,” says vice president of marketing, Bob Mast. The Kanzi harvests in mid-October, but is held in controlled atmosphere storage in order to develop its sugar levels, and is marketed in January. CMI expects to have 5,000 boxes available this season.
• New York 1 & New York 2: These two new unnamed varieties, developed by Cornell University, will be grown and marketed by New York apple growers who join the newly-formed New York State Apple Growers LLC, (NYSAG) which has forged a licensing agreement with the University. New York 1 is akin to Honeycrisp, yet easier to grow, while New York 2 is best suited for baking, and boasts enhanced levels of vitamin C. Fowler Farm’s Peters, whose company is a NYAG member, says, “We hope to have enough volume to sample with retailers by next season.”
• Rubens: CMI and Chelan Fresh are joint-testing this sweet-tart apple of European-Italian heritage and Elstar and Gala parents that harvests at the end of September. “We’ll only be able to test market with a few retailers this year and we’ll have customized POS available the first few seasons to introduce the apple as volumes increase,” says CMI’s Mast.
• SweetTango: Bred from Honeycrisp and Zestar parents, this September-harvested apple is firm, crisp, sweet and juicy with a blush-red color. Stemilt Growers, a member of the NextBigThing grower’s cooperative, expect to have 25,000 boxes available this season for test-marketing by retailers located west of the Rockies.
• Winecrisp: This new desert-quality wine-red apple, developed at the University of Illinois harvests mid-October, and could be available for test-marketing in the next two years.
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