A delegation of international marketing representatives for the Washington Apple Commission (WAC) has toured orchards and packhouses in the Yakima and Wenatchee valleys to learn more about the state’s apple production process.
Eleven representatives from the Middle East, India, Malaysia, Taiwan, Colombia and the UK, among other countries, have spent six days viewing quality control equipment and the latest growing techniques, as well as discussing ways to boost Washington apple buyers overseas.
“We have a lot of apples,” Steve Smith,general manager of Yakima Fresh, told the Yakima Herald. “We’re looking for new homes.”
This season’s Washington apple crop is expected to reach a record 140m cartons, with 60m cartons to be exported to more than 60 countries across the globe.
The contracted marketing representatives were flown over by WAC – the first trip of its kind in six years, according to the Yakima Herald.
The WAC-funded tour follows an announcement in July that the Commission was boosting its global promotional spend this season, targeting South East Asia and India.
