A campaign to raise consumer awareness of the new SnapDragon apple season in the US state of New York has placed younger growers at the forefront of its promotional activities.
At a special launch party on New York’s world-famous 5th Avenue, members of Crunch Time Apple Growers – which represents about 60 per cent of the state’s apple production – met with the media to welcome the new campaign with cocktails and innovative cuisine.
A subsequent event in Times Square saw the group hand out free apples and give away a Schwinn bicycle to one lucky competition entrant.
The organisation’s chairman, 30-year-old Joel Crist, is one of the next generation of growers that have resolved to turn SnapDragon into an iconic New York apple and bring it to consumers across North America.
His family-run farm, which has been producing apples in New York for five generations, is one of 147 grower members belonging to Crunch Time.
SnapDragon apples, a descendant of the Honeycrisp variety launched in 2015, are grown exclusively in the state.
“The support we received, both at Friday’s event and from the excited crowd in Times Square - was a real reminder of how much New Yorkers love our homegrown apples,” he commented.
