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lent for slicing programs. We’re seeing greater demand now with restaurants and schools adding sliced apples to their menus.”
Favorite mainstream apples — such as Gala, Fuji and Honeycrisp, as well as newer varieties such as SweeTango, Koru, EverCrisp and Pazazz — are grown in New York.
“ ere’s been increased plantings of Gala over the past ve to 10 years, and more is being planted, with excellent volume until the end of May,” says Stanley Orchards’ Maresca.
Honeycrisp volume, as well as that of Empire, will be down across the state this season, say growers.
SweeTango, a trademarked cross between Honeycrisp and brand-name Zestar, devel- oped at the University of Minnesota, is culti- vated by only certain farms in New York. Each is a member of the Next Big ing, A Grower’s Cooperative, as are select growers in the Central and Western U.S. and Canada.
“SweeTango is like Red Delicious, only better. e skin is thinner and not as red, the avor is sweet and it has a great crunch,” says Fowler Farms’ Fowler.
EverCrisp, a Honeycrisp-Fuji cross-devel- oped in Ohio, is being planted in New York. Its attributes include that it stores well, hence
making it ideal for healthy eating promotions after the New Year.
“We’ll be launching EverCrisp in a small way this year,” says Alisha Albinder, operations manager at Hudson River Fruit Distributors, in Milton, NY.
As with new varieties SnapDragon and RubyFrost in past years, Tops Friendly Markets’ Cady plans to introduce EverCrisp this year.
“To do this, we use all the tools available. is includes in-store display and signage with bullet points that speak to the apple’s sweet and tart avor, print ads, and digitally, getting the word out through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,” he says.
is season, the Sun Orchard Fruit Co., in Burt, NY, will o er materials to aid with the display, merchandising and promotion of the Pazazz apple, according to Tim Mans eld, director of sales and marketing.
Likewise, Crunch Time Apple Growers, a cooperative of 147 growers throughout New York State that cultivate SnapDragon and RubyFrost, has a number of retail and consumer marketing campaigns planned for this season. ese range from the inclusion of a signature SnapDragon recipe in Cost- co’s Farm To Table Recipe Book to a billboard
in New York City’s Times Square from Nov. 12-Dec. 15. e billboard message, “ e Snap is Back”, is part of ad campaign that kicks o in September and includes print ads, video and online advertising.
“Crop production will be up over 2018 by 30%, conservatively,” says Rena Montedoro, vice president of sales and marketing at Lock- port, NY-based Crunch Time Apple Growers.
Even more new varieties are on the horizon.
“We have three new open-release varieties that will be named this fall,” says Cornell’s Brown. “We wanted growers outside of the clubs to have access to some new materials. One variety is an early-season beautiful pink apple with incredible crispness, juiciness and a mild but very pleasing avor. e second is a scab-resistant apple that does not have the acidity or astringency commonly found in scab-resistant material. e third is an apple suited to fresh eating, baking and cider.”
SELL MORE IN NEW YORK MINUTE
1. Pick a pack. More than 90 percent of New York’s fresh crop apples are sold in some type of consumer package, says Jim Allen, vice president of marketing for New York Apple Sales, Albion, NY. “Future trends
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