10/04/05 Grapple Merger

Grapple merger. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. The Grapple is changing but you might never notice. Grapple Fruits LLC has recently granted the exclusive license to produce market and distribute to two NW Fruit Industry Companies. Grapples Todd Snyder explains. SNYDER: We as Grapple LLC, the five Snyder's if you will became into agreement with the two entities, Rainier Fruit down in the Yakima area and CMI Marketing, Columbia Marketing here in Wenatchee. Those two entities are going to be the production/manufacturing entities of Grapple for the next 3 years. So it's just a label nomenclature that I doubt the public will even follow. The previous agreement between Grapple and Get Fit Foods has recently expired with Get Fit Foods moving into other directions. Snyder says you'll soon see the Grapple products. SNYDER: They are still going to see our Grapple brand apples in the same or more retail markets and other avenues of sale as soon as the Fuji's start maturing which is actually within hopefully a couple of weeks so by the end of this month into the normal shells, the public won't know anything behind the scenes is per se has really transpired because Grapple is a brand that's prominent on the label and away it goes. Snyder LLC., who owns the patent for the Grapple product. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.