Smitten has been unveiled as the trademark name for apple cultivar PremA17 from the Prevar stable.
With a strapline “Once bitten, forever Smitten,” the six companies signed up to market the fruit are predicting it to be a consumer hit.
The brand is licensed to Seventeen Ltd, which comprises six NZ apple firms with equal shareholdings. The company was formed expressly to market the apple. Chairman John McCliskie told freshinfo: “Smitten has a very strong flavour and is a crisp-eating bi-coloured apple. What is really different about it is its eating quality. The Smitten name and logo device superbly capture the essence of the marketing strategy we have chosen for this apple cultivar.”
Of major marketing importance is that it comes into season some two weeks before Royal Gala. McCliskie has been in Europe all week talking with potential customers and a strategy is also being worked up for production in northern hemisphere territories to give year-round availability.
Prevar commissioned Everything Design Ltd to carry out brand development record on the strength of its track record with similar initiatives for Zespri. Prevar ceo Brett Ennis picked Smitten from a selection of names provided by the company. He said: “The apple is under trial in North America and Europea nd both Seventeen Ltd and Prevar have received very positive feedback from consumers and fruit marketers plus testing site evaluators who have previewed the apple.”
The six NZ companies involved in the commercialisation of Smitten are: “DM Palmer NZ, Enza, Heartland Group, Johnny Appleseed, Mr Apple NZ and PickMee Fruit Co.
Prevar is the international jv company established to market new top-fruit varieties from Plant & Food Research in New Zealand and its partners included Pipfruit NZ and Apple & Pear Australia. The Associated International Group of Nurseries is a global network of nursery companies and is managing secure trialling worldwide to try and determine optimum growing areas. Trees are in the ground in Germany, Italy, the UK, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium.
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