Apple Varieties Pt 1

Apple Varieties Pt 1

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
With today’s Fruit Grower Report, I’m Bob Larson. The popularity of apples remains pretty constant, but the number of varieties available for consumers continues to grow.

That has left some industry leaders to conclude that there might be too many varieties out there.

But, Washington Apple Commission president Todd Fryhover says it’s important to put those comments in context …

FRYHOVER … “Remember, those were the words of Kroger, one of the largest retailers in the United States and the REW Group out of Germany, who is also one of the largest retailers. So, I found it interesting that it was consistent that the messaging was the same between two different continents.”

That, Fryhover says is the interesting part …

FRYHOVER … “That’s where the discussion begins, but obviously I think that there are a lot more varieties available at retail, a lot more competing space by variety, and of course a lot more pressure on other products as well in the produce section.”

Which is a lot to process …

FRYHOVER … “People are confused. I think education is the key. You know, the opportunity to tell people what the expectations are when they pick up that apple is very important and that’s something that we struggle with occasionally to get that message across, in particular in the U.S. domestic retail market.”

And, Fryhover says when you throw in organic …

FRYHOVER … “So, that just basically doubles most of these new varieties, right? As an example, the Cosmic Crisp, it’s a conventional apple, but it’s also going to be grown organically.”

Listen tomorrow for more on the expanding varieties in the apple market and what it could mean moving forward.

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