In response to consumer demand for new and exciting varieties, as well as grower interest in pest and disease-resistance, orchards across North America are changing.
Stemilt has been transforming its orchards over the past 20 years. “Red Delicious used to be 85 percent of our holdings,” says Roger Pepperl, marketing director for Stemilt Growers LLC in Wenatchee, WA. “Today, it’s about 20 percent—there were too many in the ground for the market.”
And though demand for Red Delicious has fallen domestically, it is still sought after for exports to Mexico, the Pacific Rim, and India. Unfortunately, Pepperl says the apples are no longer a good return on investment.
Such is also the case with the formerly popular Golden Delicious, which has fallen from 15 percent of Stemilt’s production to only 4 percent. Another change is organic apples, which now account for 30 percent of production. “It costs more to farm that way, but it returns more,” Pepperl says. “It’s a growing market that needs to be developed.”
Ray Norwood, director of sales and marketing for Auvil Fruit Company, Inc. in Orondo, WA, also commented on replacing older varieties with new trees. About half of Auvil’s production is Granny Smith, with the remainder made up of Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, and Honeycrisp.
All Fresh GPS LLC in Comstock, MI, too, has altered the makeup of its orchards.
“We’ve started to push out some of the old legacy varieties to make room for newer and managed varieties,” says Nick Mascari, vice president of sales. “We’ve done this to give the end consumer the best eating experience possible, as we have too much competition in the produce spectrum not to.”
Yet deciding to invest in a new variety is not a simple decision, as there are many considerations besides capturing consumer interest. “A grower looks at whether it’s easy to grow,” says Norwood, but more importantly “does it fit with the harvest schedule and when you have the labor force?”
Labor, of course, is an enduring problem. Mascari says shortages and concerns over immigration policy continue to plague the industry. “We’ve been lucky to have a strong H-2A visa partnership that has alleviated some of the stresses,” he says. “We, as an industry, need to continue to address this issue head-on with our representatives.”
This is an excerpt from the most recent Produce Blueprints quarterly journal. Click here to read the full article.
