A successful debut on Australian retail shelves in 2016 has Bravo apples well positioned to challenge fast growing fresh produce lines for market share, according to Ben Darbyshire, chairman of Fruit West Co-operative – holder of the exclusive licence to commercialise the branded variety.
To aid the push, Fruit West has appointed WA Farm Direct to manage all marketing and distribution of Bravo in Australia for 2017. Darbyshire said WA Farm Direct was selected from a wide range of applicants looking to be involved with the brand.
“There was strong interest from across Australia in working with Fruit West to market 2017 grown Bravo apples, following the apple’s dramatic and successful debut on the fresh food scene in 2016,” Darbyshire explained. “Bravo apples sold out quickly in 2016 and the apple’s flavour and eating characteristics has renewed consumer interest in apples to the point that we see the Bravo apple poised to challenge fresh berries and avocados for market share.”
Darbyshire said Fruit West’s approach to the Bravo apple brand (variety name ANABP 01) has been “daring and different” when it comes to satisfying consumer expectations for fresh produce.
The ANABP 01 variety was developed by the Australian National Apple Breeding Programme at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia with support from Horticulture Innovation Australia. Rights to the variety and the Bravo brand are owned by the Western Australian Agriculture Authority and licensed to Fruit West Co-operative.
“It has been fantastic to see Bravo apples make such difference to the apple industry in Western Australia and elsewhere in Australia,” said the department’s irrigated agriculture executive director John Ruprecht. “The local economy will benefit from the many years of research and development the department has carried out in conjunction with the State’s apple industry.”
