Echoing the words of Adrian Barlow earlier in this issue, Andy Sadler insists that the English industry, while appreciative of the support of its retail customers, does not want that support to come at an unbearable cost to growers. “All the supermarkets are making positive noises about English apples this year, and we can only hope that this is followed up by the shelf space and prices that allow growers to make the right returns. We do not want to kill the goose that lays the golden egg,” he says.
Last season was difficult for growers, although its impact was probably harder because of the two relatively successful seasons that preceded it. “It was not desperate by any means, but it was a knock-back to growers who had responded to two good years by planting new trees and investing in their futures. A season such as the last one has them questioning such long-term decisions,” says Sadler.
“The market has not got any less competitive - we all know that - and I think supermarkets are well aware that they cannot keep pushing prices downwards. At the end of the day, they all need fruit and you can only cut the cloth so much before there is nowhere else you can go.”
The cynics amongst us would say that retail customers know they can push it past breaking point for many suppliers and still not be short of companies willing to service their profit margins. Sadler, however, says he remains supremely confident about the future of home-grown apples. “I’m very positive about the business - there is still a big demand for our products, especially from the English consumer. There are also a lot of consumers in the UK who aren’t English and there may well be an opportunity for us to grow our sales there too.”
As reported in this week’s news section, there will be more apples to sell this year. “It looks like we’ll have a fair amount of everything,” says Sadler. “It certainly won’t be a bumper crop, but there will be a good volume of all varieties and as long as it is managed and marketed right, and the promotional support is put in place at the right times, we should be looking at a decent campaign.
“My technical manager tells me that the sunshine we’ve had in the last couple of weeks will do wonders for the flavour of the crop,” he says. “But it has been extremely dry - we have a ban on unattended hosepipes in Kent and the reservoirs are obviously low - and there is definitely a need for some more water in the ground.” The weather forecast as the Journal went to press suggested that Sadler’s wishes - and those of the entire apple-growing sector - were about to come true.
“Fruit is around 15mm behind where it was at this stage of last season generally,” he adds, “which is a good thing for some varieties, but without being alarmist, if we don’t get the rainfall we need, there could well be higher than desired levels of smaller sized fruit around. Already though, the plans are in place for a far bigger percentage of pre-packs this year.”
Norman Collett has been advising its growers to plant more Gala and Braeburn, but not dissuading replanting of Cox. “We encourage growers to look at their portfolio and ensure that they have the right varieties not just for today, but for five to 10 years time. And Gala and Braeburn, as 12-month world apples, are a good option. But Cox still has a very good following too and when the marketing support is right, there are excellent sales to be had,” says Sadler.
“Cox is of course more difficult to grow and the gradeout is lower. If a grower can only reach 70 per cent Class I gradeout on Cox and the premium price is not there, it doesn’t always stack up. And the variety is not on shelf for 12 months, which is a disadvantage. Launching Cox at the end of September, early October when it has not been on shelves in the UK for three, four and in the case of English five months is a big challenge. It needs a strong promotional push and the fruit needs to win shelf space from other top-fruit lines, as well as soft fruit.”
So while Cox will live long in the UK consumers’ hearts, the real, long-term growth probably lies elsewhere. “The UK Gala volume is higher than it’s ever been but we are still just scratching the surface in terms of import substitution potential. If the supermarkets stick with what they say and the fruit matches the quality standards of the imported offer, there is still an awfully long way to go. And with Braeburn, well we haven’t even started yet.”
Norman Collett also exclusively markets the club apple Cameo in the UK. “The jury is still out,” admits Sadler. “I think it is a very good apple, but I would of course say that. It has consistently good flavour and is crunchy. We had a poor year volume-wise last season, but that will pick up this time around and we are looking to market the variety earlier - in the pre-Christmas window - and later to increase its presence. The more people that get to know it, the better the potential.”
There are 100,000 Cameo trees planted in the UK, and the company is also trialling Reubens, a red apple, to gauge its suitability to, and performance in the English climate. The variety, which is grown in Italy already, was planted for the first time by Sadler’s growers last winter.
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