With production levels reaching the point where it can make a retail showing, apple marketer Enza will this month release its Envy apple variety on to the commercial market.
Samples of the apple given out at trade shows over the past year have already piqued the interest of many in the industry, especially after the commercial success of Enza’s earlier Pacific Series and Jazz apples.
Several of the world’s largest retailers are already on board, according to Enza’s Campbell Naish, representing some of Enza’s largest customers.
Introduction of the fruit will be staggered across different markets, Mr Naish told Fruitnet.com, with some fruit already on the water and some not hitting markets until early July.
“This year volumes on Envy are still very small, so we’re going to wait until next year before we make a major consumer push with the product,” he said.
“We don’t want to create demand this year that we can’t satisfy, but next year when production starts ramping up we’ll be doing more marketing.”
Envy is a bright red, sweet apple with crisp flesh. An unforeseen but welcome product of Envy’s breeding programme, the apple’s flesh does not brown for hours after being sliced, an attribute Enza will no doubt play on in next year’s marketing campaigns.
Commercial production for the next few years will be limited to New Zealand, said Mr Naish, but Envy has already followed in Jazz’s footsteps to establish orchards in 12 countries globally, the eventual aim being year-round supply.
“Washington is planting significant commercial volumes this year, and there’s a programme to continue that over next few years,” Mr Naish explained. “We’ve got the same thing happening in New Zealand, but we’re three years ahead of Washington.”
As that production basis would suggest, the US is one of Enza’s primary target markets for the sweet-fleshed apple.
“We will very much target the US, and then we’ll target South East Asia and Taiwan,” Mr Naish said. “Then we’re going to look at opening up high-end opportunities in China, where Enza has a good foothold already.
“We also see good opportunities to work in Japan, which is a re-emerging market for us. This apple is perfect for that market, and we’ve already had a lot of interest there.”
