Smitten apple sales are expected to ramp-up significantly in the US and Canada, according to Randy Steensma co-owner of Washington State-based Pegasus Premier Fruit.
Having secured the exclusive North American license to grow and distribute the club-variety, Steensma said he saw long-term potential for the offering.
“We see the cultivar as much more than a niche club cultivar,” Steensma explained. “We believe it may have all the qualities to become an anchor cultivar as older varieties like Red Delicious and Golden Delicious decline.”
Pegasus has planted the variety across 10 orchards since entering the license agreement with the variety’s proprietor, Prevar Limited, in 2011. Production will be expanded across another three sites in 2015.
Steensma said the company has already seen reward for its investment, with initial US sales commanding up to US$60 per carton. As commercial volumes are reached over the coming seasons, Steensma said Smitten will develop into a year-round offering.
“New Zealand began commercial planting of this cultivar six years ago and has exported world- wide from mature orchards for the last three years,” he explained. “The North American reaction has been powerfully positive with retailers selling through and asking for more, even at Honeycrisp-like retail prices. We intend to work closely with New Zealand producers in opposite-season marketing to add value to the cultivar.”
Brett Ennis, chief executive of Prevar, was pleased to see the Smitten brand developing on a global scale. “This apple has now been commercialised in five territories to date with strong interest from several other territories where this cultivar is currently being tested,” Ennis said.
