Leading French apple grower-marketer Blue Whale officially launched its new premium apple Novablue on the UK, Belgian, Spanish and Dutch markets this September, after successful trials in Asia and the Middle East last year.
Novablue is an early-yielding Gala hybrid with a difference. Unlike its bi-coloured cousins, Novablue is a uniform deep-red. Not only that, but the fruit is said to be sweeter and crunchier than traditional Royal Gala apples.
The variety is suited to all French growing areas, colours easily and reaches maturity 7-10 days before traditional Gala clones, according to Blue Whale: a boon for both growers and consumers, the firm says, since it is the first European Gala to harvest and arrive on shelves.
Blue Whale decided to highlight Novablue’s striking qualities by giving it a unique brand name that differentiates it from the traditional Gala apple, export director Marc Peyres explains.
“The best Novablues really taste like something else. For this reason we are positioning them at the top end of the market as a premium product,” he says, adding that Blue Whale is rolling out commercial volumes (some 75,000 bushels) to retailers across Asia and the Middle East this season.
Besides launching Novablue in Europe this year, Blue Whale also introduced its early Fuji variety Fuji Primeur to the market.
Produced in the Garonne valley, south-west France, Fuji Primeur matures in early September and leads in nicely to the arrival of Blue Whale’s well-known Fujissime brand, says Peyres.
“Fuji Primeur is probably the best apple on the market in terms of flavour for those who like sweet fruit,” he says. “It is very juicy and has high sugar levels.”
But you need to be quick to get a bite. Fuji Primeur has a short four-week sales window (September), Peyres explains, and Blue Whale has adapted its marketing strategy accordingly by turning it up to full throttle.“We are promoting the fruit in more than 80 points of sale across Spain this September, and are present in all wholesale markets,” he says.
Sales are going well for all Blue Whale’s apples so far this season, thanks to very strong demand from all markets, says Peyres. Southern Hemisphere stocks are depleted, and European apple volumes are down due to a heatwave in July and August. US volumes are also expected to be lower than forecast due to hot weather there too.
“For those [Northern Hemisphere growers] lucky enough to have good quality apples this year, this should be a very good season,” says Peyres.
