Successful first season for non-browning Arctic apples

Okanagan Specialty Fruits, Inc. (OSF), the producers of Arctic apples, have marked their first season of production as a success. The sliced, non-browning apple product made their retail debut last November. Golden apples were the first of several varieties the company introduced to the market, with other apples to follow in coming seasons. OSF has now sold out of their first batch. Over the next few years, they are expecting to have more availability as more trees are planted and produce fruit. 

"We are excited that we could finally give consumers an opportunity to try our non-browning Arctic® Golden apple slices, but our supply of fresh fruit is now exhausted," said Neal Carter, head of Okanagan Specialty Fruits. "Our fruit supply from the fall 2017 harvest was quite limited but will increase as more trees are planted and more fruit is produced. Our delicious non-browning apples will be back in stores after the fall harvest and because we’ve been planting trees at a rapid pace we expect to expand availability across the US and Canada in due course."

With the first batch crop now sold out, OSF said it saw positive consumer feedback for the apple slices. "The demand certainly outweighed what we were able to produce," Carter noted. "We were very pleased with the reception and the consumer response data generated by these initial sales. The response by consumers really does echo the many years of consumer research we conducted. Consumers continue to love the idea of non-browning apples and the convenience they deliver."

Carter added that the 10oz packs themselves also delivered in terms of informational delivery as well as overall design. "The feedback on the packaging of our 10 oz. grab-n-go bags of Arctic® Golden apple slices was very positive," he said. "The packaging highlights our apples’ unique non-browning trait, which enables Arctic® apples to be preservative free, and provides consumers with the convenience factor they desire and an unparalleled eating experience. Consumer feedback is very valuable to us and we will also be considering other package sizes, along with availability of whole apples in the future."

OSF also worked closely with retailers to ensure the message they wanted to deliver about the product came through in the store. They achieved this by performing in-store demos to educate people about the apple slices and how they can enjoy the apples without them going brown. They also highlighted the potential for minimizing food waste.

"Retailers have been intrigued by the unique non-browning aspect of Arctic® apples," Carter explained. "Not only are they excited about giving consumers another healthy and convenient option to choose from, they are also interested in how Arctic® apples can help reduce shrink at the supermarket level due to unnecessary food waste."

"In-store demos provided us and retailers with some very encouraging feedback and are proving to be a useful tool to educate consumers and increase their interest in bringing Arctic® apples home to their families," he continued. "Since Arctic® apple slices don’t require any anti-browning treatments, any potential off-tastes that may come with them are avoided and we’ve found in taste tests the majority of consumers prefer the eating experience of Arctic® Goldens over other sliced apple brands. Retailers are excited by the potential of increased movement of fresh-cut apples."

Goldens were the first apples OSF produced for its first season of sliced apples. This year, the company said their Granny Smith crop will be ready, followed by other varieties in the future. They are even considering other fruits besides apples.

"We will harvest our first commercial crop of Arctic® Granny apples this fall and the fresh sliced Arctic® Granny will be introduced shortly thereafter," Carter shared. "This variety is perfect for apple lovers that prefer a more tart taste and is a great apple for baking with as well. We have done some preliminary work with other crops such as pears and cherries. While these projects are promising, they would be years away. Our primary focus will remain on developing other Arctic® apple products and new non-browning varieties. Our Arctic® Fujis are next to go in the ground!"

For more information:

Denise Everett

Tel: +1 (250) 404-0101