New apple varieties may fall in and out of fashion, but Bramley is one favourite that is always in vogue. This year’s Bramley Apple Week runs from February 1-8 and, as the fruit celebrates its bicentenary, even more events have been planned to acknowledge the popular apple. These include a raft of promotional activities and events, as well as a wide range of cookery competitions.
“It is obviously a very special time for Bramley this year and it is quite remarkable that a variety that was introduced 200 years ago has unrivalled cooking qualities that no other commercially grown apple can match,” says Adrian Barlow, chairman of the Bramley Campaign. “It is a very versatile ingredient, an iconic product and one that Britain should be proud of.”
And Bramley has many industry supporters. “I think that a product that has remained at the top of the tree for such a long time, without the slightest threat of competition, proves how good it really is,” says OrchardWorld’s Alan Griffiths. “Its texture and versatility is second to none, and the Bramley Apple Campaign has carried out some really worthwhile activities over the past 10 years to ensure that no other apple is considered in the UK’s kitchens and restaurants.”
Supplier OrchardWorld is in the middle of a joint planned event to mark the bicentenary and Sir John Starkey - one of the company’s growers - will be planting two acres of Bramley in Southwell, using cuttings from his current ‘granddaughter’ trees.
Southwell is where the first Bramley apple was planted and a number of events to celebrate the bicentenary will take place in the area.
A special bicentenary logo has been designed and this will be clearly displayed on all Bramley poly bags going into Tesco from Norman Collett. The top-fruit marketing desk is also running a cooking competition with local schools, to find a young chef who has an original Bramley recipe or a great twist on a traditional dish. The winner will be announced at the National Fruit Show in October, says Norman Collett’s Andy Sadler, who feels that there is great growth potential among the younger generation.
He adds: “Bramley is a very versatile, easyand healthy product to cook with. There is a lot of work to be done in this area, but there is a new generation of Bramley fans to be created and this year gives us the best opportunity to start that work.”
Sadler hopes that the different cooking competitions run as part of the celebrations, in addition to the extra media interest, will remind consumers of just how much they like Bramley dishes.
Griffiths says that there is still potential for further growth for Bramley, especially with more people reverting to back-to-basics cooking in order to save money. “There needs to be more focus on younger people buying into Bramley, and therefore more emphasis on schools and catering colleges could prove worthwhile,” he adds.
The Bramley Campaign is also hoping that the launch of a number of fusion recipes during Bramley Apple Week will win over more cooks among the ethnic population.
Trying to get more consumers to use Bramley in cooking is always a priority and in-store recipe cards have proved to be an effective tool. “Pushing Bramley with TV chefs can also give the product a really good profile, which in turn increases consumption,” says Griffiths.
Some of the highlights to celebrate the Bramley bicentenary this year include the unveiling of the first new stained glass window in Southwell Minster since the millennium. A special Bramley anthem has been composed to mark the occasion and trees will be planted in the grounds of the minster.
In October, a Southwell race meeting will be held and Barlow says that this event will hopefully bring in a different clientele for Bramley. There will also be a Bramley float at this year’s Lord Mayor’s show in London.
Some 25,000 tonnes of fresh Bramley apples are sold each year, and a further 58,000t are used commercially in apple products from pies to juice. Bramley supporters say there is the potential to use the variety in even more products and on many more menus in the future.
Fourayes, the UK’s largest grower and supplier of Bramley apples and processed fruit fillings, expects to handle about an extra 1,000t of fruit this season compared to 2007-08. “Product from Fourayes is still in strong demand and therefore we have to be in a position to meet this added demand,” managing director Phil Acock explains.
The company has a number of plans in the pipeline for the Bramley celebrations this year. These kicked off in 2008 with a number of events, including internal competitions. The start of 2009 will see more activities taking place, with specially created postcards containing traditional recipes, and a number of events will be held to support local charities.
Retailers, processors and producers alike are hoping that the extra attention paid to Bramley this year will result in an uplift in sales. In terms of market share, Tesco accounts for 31 per cent of Bramley sold by retailers, followed by Sainsbury’s with a 24 per cent market share and Morrisons with just under 16 per cent.
Barlow reported strong fresh sales in late January and anticipates that there will be sufficient volumes to see the sector through until the new crop comes on stream in September. “There will not be much slack and with the bicentenary, it could be a tight situation as we anticipate increased demand this year,” he adds.
Insufficient stocks during the March-April 2008 period meant that growers, marketing desks and multiples worked together to de-list some packs, limit shelf space and dampen demand.
“It has taken until mid-January for the sector to recover, but we anticipate sales will continue on an upward trend,” Barlow tells FPJ.
Towards the end of 2008, sales were down by five per cent compared to the same period in 2007, although they were 14 per cent higher than the same period in 2006.
However, the processing market is proving challenging, says Barlow, due to the world demand-supply balance. “Sales are relatively modest and we are not expecting much change in the immediate future,” he tells FPJ.
Steve Maxwell of Worldwide Fruit points out that the 2007-08 crop produced smaller fruit, which has impacted on prices paid out by processors.
The challenges that the sector faces each year are largely dependent on the size of the crop, say observers. “The past few years have seen short crops, which provide us with the difficult challenge of keeping the product on the shelf for the entire 12 months,” Griffiths explains. “The recent revival of the cider industry has certainly helped keep the balance of supply and demand, but this is beginning to slow.”
Indeed, C&C Group, which produces Magners Irish Cider, reported a 24 per cent plunge in sales in the UK for the quarter to November 30, 2008. Over the last two years, the group has faced higher than expected production costs, coupled with poor summer weather and increased competition.
Acock is hoping that the cider situation will improve. However, he says Magners will face difficulties if the group does not regenerate itself, as too many Bramleys will be grown in Northern Ireland, leading to depressed prices.
Climatic changes do not seem to have affected Bramley production to date. Griffiths says sales do tend to increase when the weather is cooler, although the recent milder winters do not seem to have affected annual sales in any significant way.
On a few occasions, OrchardWorld has sent Bramley supplies to the continent, and Griffiths acknowledges that the response has been a little flat. However, he believes that with further research, there could be some “really interesting” opportunities, especially in some of the more highly populated ex-pat regions of Europe.
Acock points out that Bramley apple fillings found favour in Germany when Fourayes started exporting there some five to eight years ago. “Maybe an opportunity is presenting itself again,” he tells FPJ.
According to Acock, there is always potential for growth, but this has to be as a result of strong new product development and innovation. “Coming up with just another apple pie isn’t going to do it,” Acock says. “All sectors of the food industry are receptive to new and innovative products.”
The firm’s short- to medium-term goal is to develop more business with its current customer base. “We will achieve this by offering a broader range of products and also increasing our market share,” Acock says. “The long-term opportunities for us involve developing brand-new products and continuing to increase business with new customers.”
The most significant challenge facing Fourayes is coping with the “tremendous downward pressure being exerted by the supermarkets on prices”, says Acock.
He adds: “As a result, we are having to drive cost out of our business, take up efficiency and get ever larger tonnages through the plant. Cash flow is also a challenge as customers are slower with payments and trying to renegotiate terms. This is something we need to resist, because we as a company have large sums of money tied up in stock throughout the year and so extending payment terms is a non-starter.”
Fourayes hit the headlines last December when it announced the completion of its new storage and despatch building at Fourayes Farm near Sittingbourne, Kent. Three new loading bays and chilled storage have replaced a single bay and ambient store, which will now allow Fourayes to deal with a higher turnover of deliveries and keep apples at a consistent temperature of 5°C.
There are now two main storage areas: one section is solely used to service the fruit filling production area and holds raw materials such as sugar, starch, raisins and sultanas at 12-15°C.
The other area is used for holding finished goods ready for despatch. This area has the capacity for 90 pallets held between 3-5°C, says Acock. “Loading times have been reduced by 50 per cent by virtue of the three new loading bays and there is no loss of temperature of the finished product when loading,” he adds.
The second phase of the extension is scheduled to start in 2010. “We want Fourayes to be a place of choice to work and to achieve this we have to provide the very best facilities for our staff,” says Acock.
There is no doubt it is going to be an exciting year for Bramley apples in 2009 and the sector is pulling out all the stops to celebrate in style.
BICENTENARY COUNTDOWN
FEBRUARY 1-8: Bramley Apple Week: The official launch of the Bramley bicentenary.
MARCH 21: The unveiling of the first new stained glass window in Southwell Minster since the millennium.
APRIL 14: Final of the Bramley Bursary, a nationwide competition to find the best new young Bramley chefs.
JULY: The Bramley Awards, celebrating the best manufactured Bramley products and those retailers and foodservice companies that have supported the cause of the Bramley.
SEPTEMBER: The arrival of the bicentenary crop of Bramley apples.
OCTOBER 4-11: Bramley Apple Pie Week.
OCTOBER 18: Bramley Race Day at Southwell racecourse.
NOVEMBER 14: Bramley float in the Lord Mayor’s Show.
Source: Bramley Campaign
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