The first commercial supplies of UK Rubens apples went on sale at Tesco on Wednesday.
The Gala-Elstar cross was propagated in Italy and the trees were brought over to the UK by Tesco’s 2007 Grower Of The Year Nigel Bardsley, based in Kent. The fruit is being supplied by English top-fruit marketing desk Norman Collett Ltd.
Around 100,000 Rubens trees have been planted in the UK to date, with another 40,000 being planted this autumn.
Nicknamed the “easy crunch apple”, Rubens has a texture that allows chunks of flesh to come away without having to bite too hard.
Tesco apple buyer David Croxson said: “The launch of Rubens in the UK is a major coup for British apple growers, because it opens the market up to people who like to experience a new taste sensation.
“When you bite into one, chunks of flesh simply come away, easily making it nearer to a pear than an apple in texture… We believe it will soon become a classic that will be revered as much as a Golden Delicious or Gala.”
This season, 800,000 Rubens apples will be produced. A crop of more than 1,000 tonnes is expected by 2012.
Croxson added: “When we first tasted Rubens we were knocked out by the flavour and knew that it would be a real winner with British shoppers.
“But an added bonus is that the apple, which is grown on seven farms in Kent, has excellent green credentials by keeping strictly to the UK’s highest standards on minimum usage of pesticides.”
A bag of six to seven Rubens apples from Tesco costs £1.39.
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