High-flavor apple varieties continue to gain popularity, and consumers prefer these varieties over legacy varieties. With the share of high-flavor varieties showing an increase in recent years, U.S. demand for apples has been very consistent. One of these popular varieties, Honeycrisp, is down in volume significantly this season compared to last year's record crop and consumers miss seeing it on the shelf. "Honeycrisp has become the number one U.S. variety in sales dollars due to its crisp and flavorful characteristics," says Skyler McFeeley, Business Development Manager at Rainier Fruit. "Due to its lower production volume this season, consumers are switching to varieties with similar taste and texture profiles like Envy, Cosmic Crisp, and Pink Lady. For these varieties, the lower volume of Honeycrisp is an opportunity."
Organics remain a regular part of the apple category. "We began growing apples organically over 20 years ago with the goal of meeting the rising demand for organic produce," shared McFeeley. "Over time, we found benefits to organic growing practices beyond sales and leaned heavily into transitioning large portions of acreage." Today, a significant share of Rainier's apples and other fruits are organic. "We're proud to be one of the largest organic apple shippers in the U.S."
"We differentiate by shipping organic apples year-round, something we've accomplished for seven years already," commented McFeeley. Many shippers run out of U.S.-grown organic apples and start importing from the southern hemisphere in spring. "However, imports can be a challenge, especially given the current global trade uncertainties. Therefore, we've invested in Washington-grown supply of all our varieties and expect to go year-round on all our core organic varieties this summer."
Envy apple harvest.
Storing organic apples
Growing organically is challenging in many ways, especially when it comes to storage. "It has taken many years to perfect long-term storage for organic apples." Years of investment and R&D with storing techniques were required and in addition, work at the farm level was necessary to grow fruit strong enough not to break down in long-term storage. "It sounds surprisingly simple, but the growing location is one of the biggest factors in successfully growing organic apples that can be stored for an entire year."
Rainier Fruit will be exhibiting at this week's SEPC Southern Exposure event. Visit the team at booth #209.
For more information:
Skyler McFeeley
Rainier Fruit
rainier@rainierfruit.com
www.rainierfruit.com