A high quality crop of USA East Coast apples has begun to arrive in the UK and both exporters and importers have high expectations for the remainder of the season.
Don Arnock, chairman of the US Apple Export Committee (USAEC), reports a vintage crop of outstanding quality brought about by excellent growing conditions.
“Unlike the previous year, the weather treated us kindly and we were able to harvest a crop that equals the five-year average,” he says. “We have picked a crop that suits the size and quality characteristics that consumers buy apples for. And Mother Nature was kind enough to give us the colour we desired too.
“A number of factors are in our favour, including the supply situation from other sources and the exchange rate. We have a group of producers here who are ready and willing to take advantage of that through good programmes with the UK supermarkets.”
“With the dollar being as weak as it is, we should be able to offer an excellent dark red bi-coloured, sweet, yet tart, apple as the characteristics of the Empire parentage, Mcintosh and Red Delicious, come through. This will offer a nice change from the older normal varieties such as Gala and Braeburn. Our Empire apple is unmatched anywhere in the world. It should have had a similar programme to Pink Lady,” says Charles M Andola II of United Apple Sales Inc.
United represents growers and packers across the US and has been exporting apples to the UK for almost 20 years. It ships a portfolio of Mcintosh, Empire and Red Delicious from both East and West Coast, and Pink Lady from the West Coast.
Andola II says the initial opportunity came when the company began shipping Empire after its “discovery” on a buying trip by a UK importer. “Sainsbury’s took only 18 containers that first season, now the market takes close to a million cartons of Empire,” he says. “Last year was the first season a limited number of Empires were available year-round. This season, since that program was a success, most major shippers here will have Empire available in quantity throughout.”
Steve Reissen of Sun Orchard Fruit Company has sent apples into the UK through Richard Hochfeld since the 1980s. Sun Orchard’s fruit sent to the UK is exclusively for Tesco. He says: “The Empire crop is very high quality, in particular from New York, and we will be able to go right through to the end of June, beginning of July. The exchange rate ($1.83;£1 at the time of writing) allows us to sell at a price that works for us and also sees the fruit arrive in the UK at a price that our customers can promote at. This is a one in five or six season, when a number of crucial factors come together.
“We have already shipped a lot of Gala to the UK, due in large part to the shortage in northern Europe. It is the market’s first proper taste of our Gala and it is a variety we could do more of. There is always a window between the end of the northern hemisphere fruit and the start of the southern hemisphere. Some years it is just a two-week gap, but Gala is the biggest apple in Europe and two weeks of sales is a huge volume. This year the gap is bigger and we are there to fill it. It is a win-win year for us and the consumer, who will get a good price and also be able to taste our Gala and see how good it is.”
Jon Jones, Hochfeld’s apple specialist, has filled the Gala gap with English and East Coast US fruit and reports a good post-Christmas period. “Sales on top fruit since Christmas have been very strong,” he says. “They have tailed off a little in the last 10 days, but in general January is a good month for apples and this year has been no exception. The Gala supply may be a one-off, as there is normally more than enough available from Europe, but quality from the US has been fantastic.”
Mark Culley, md of OrchardWorld, says: “The season will carry on until August with the main variety Empire. There have been advantages taken through the weakness of the dollar, but shipping rates are up slightly which is offsetting that a little bit. Generally fruit quality and eating quality are excellent on Empire and sales should continue to improve because of a weak dollar and good fruit. A shortage of Gala will be minimal and it will maybe run short for two to three weeks, but not long term and the southern hemisphere has a big crop and the season is not far off.”
It is on Empire and, in Scotland and Northern Ireland particularly, McIntosh that exporters are pinning their principle hopes though. “The Empire has been at a disadvantage these past 20 years,” Andola II contends. “While it can be grown in many countries, it cannot be grown successfully for size, pressure, sugar, skin texture, and colour in as many places that support tree growth and fruit. This is a huge issue for US and Canadian growers, who can produce consistent high quality Empire.”
There is a very narrow band of latitude, coupled with soil types, that allows Empire to flourish and become the product the UK desires. Andola II says: “The UK supermarkets actually saved this variety as they dictated the standards by which Empire was harvested, stored and shipped for these prescribed arrivals. The US had been growing it for colour. The UK stopped that and we began growing it for pressure and taste. The standards now are high and rigid.”
As well as creating the platform for Empire to thrive, Andola II believes the UK customer base was also the catalyst for “what the worldwide Pink Lady group has done” and that Empire producers should have paid more attention to Pink Lady developments. He adds: “Twenty years ago, Empire growers should have set up similar protection of their intellectual properly. Back then, who knew? The UK system has established that for Empire.”
United has certainly taken advantage of the Pink Lady boom however. “Our Pink Lady from the West Coast, also, due to the unique microclimate are sweet, yet have the zing Pinks are famous for in the marketplace,” says Andola II. “New storage techniques will allow this variety to ship longer into the year. In years past, due to volume, we have run out of fruit prior to the arrival of high quality Pinks from the southern hemisphere. This year we should bridge this gap nicely.”
The shortage of Bramley for the fresh market also opens a door to two US cookers, Rome and Crispin. Reissen believes Crispin, a green type, has the better chance of success. “Crisipin is probably the perfect cooking apple,” he says. “It is very tender, but also hard. It does bruise quite easily and is difficult to transport, which has held it back, but it has been in storage long enough this year that this should not be an issue. If the UK market needs an alternative to Bramley then this is it.” Jones adds though, that despite the shortage, he hopes to go right through with Bramley, and that prices on both fresh and processed markets are high.
Arnock and Jones point to MCP Smartfresh technology as the major reason for extension of the US apple season and Jones adds it is changing the quality criteria for apples around the world. “Smartfresh has added a new dimension to the apple business,” he says. “From the US point of view, it is allowing growers to go through to the end of the season with excellent pressures, rather than sliding off towards the end of the season, and the odd problem with rots that we used to have simply isn’t happening any more.”
The technology is becoming available to producers around the world, and Jones believes it will have a positive bearing on future planning and eventually will enhance the quality of apples across the board.
US East Coast apple growers, spearheaded by the USAEC, have consistently backed up their sales drive with promotional activity.
The council represents the interests of apple growers and shippers in the major apple producing states of New York, Michigan and New England. New York state produces 85 per cent of the total east coast crops exported to the USA.
US apples are this year being heavily promoted as a healthy snack in supermarkets throughout the UK. Two red varieties, Empire and McIntosh are receiving particular attention in the promotional drive. Empire is a cross of Red Delicious and the spicy, aromatic McIntosh. The Empire crop has increased in volume by 58 per cent year-on-year and the McIntosh volumes are 41 per cent higher than last year’s crop.
According to USA Apples, the red American apples are becoming more popular in the UK and offer a colourful and appetising display among the green varieties.
Andola II sees the resurgence of red varieties on both sides of the Atlantic as a potential sign that consumer tastes are reverting to old. “While our Red Delicious have always enjoyed a good summer program in the UK, this year due to a short crop in Washington, we may not be able to keep up with demand. While there are Reds that are good around the world, Washington has the best Red worldwide. This variety seems to be experiencing a resurgence in Europe and here in the US.”
He asks two pertinent questions. “Is it possible that as growers remove them their orchards, the public decides it wants what has in the past not been profitable to grow? Could we see Reds being planted again?”
A strong promotion programme includes a new website and a portfolio of posters, consumer recipe booklets and store and uniform stickers and in-store tastings. Colourful advertorials emphasising the juicy, crisp and delicious theme will be appearing glossy lifestyle magazines distributed in major cities throughout the UK and Ireland. Most of the apples will carry the USA Apples sticker thus reinforcing the strong American imagery.
Merchandising of apples, says Andola II, is key to maximising the potential of each and every variety. “With so many bi-coloured apples on the shelf, there is a ‘sameness’ to the displays. Gala, Braeburn, Jazz and Cox are very similar and even Golden resembles some of these if it is off in colour at all - look at the shelves. Go into a supermarket that understands this and note how they effectively use the Granny, the dark red apple, to break up the like for like appearance. This is why we feel our fruit has a better and better chance to prove itself an excellent alternative. And now, we can deliver in volume.”
European director of USAEC Neil Gordon says the health message echoes the UK government’s “5 a-Day” fruit and vegetable advice and points to the apples’ natural nutrition qualities, which help apple eaters to stay healthy.
“The new website - www.usaapples. com - is in direct response to the national increase in computer ownership - 60 per cent of UK homes now have one, and a rise in Internet usage for shopping. The health message features strongly on the new website and there are tips, recipes and a children’s page of apple cartoons.
“Its arrival is yet another improvement in our promotional package. We now have a cohesive collection of marketing aids that can be tailored to individual retailers’ requirements.
“Added to this, is a strong consumer public relations programme designed to encourage shoppers to visit leading multiple supermarket groups to sample and buy our fruit,” Gordon says.
“Our experience is that once people have tried one of the US apples they come back for more.”
The PR push offers lifestyle and cookery editors USA apple tips, recipe ideas, nutritional information and a collection of high quality pictures all available by e-mail. Most major retailers have received a presentation of the USAEC promotional material and a large number have requested supplies.
Gordon says that fruit buyers were consulted about their POS needs, and their advice and guidance led to the design and production of the colourful images of apples being enjoyed by healthy looking youngsters.
“We commissioned digital photography by one of the country’s top food photographers to produce images that have considerable appetite appeal.
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