The new apple season has started again. At grower Jan Kutschruiter's, the harvest of the first Robijn apples starts on August 20. "It's a new variety, a mutation of Jonagold Decosta. In 2003, the first tree was found. In 2010, the first ones were given out, and now we have four hectares of it. Last year harvest was still minimal, but we now expect to pick around 200 tonnes of this summer apple," Jan says enthusiastically.
Looks and tastes more like Elstar
The Robijn acreage in the Netherlands adds up to about 15 hectares in total, and Belgium and England are also growing these apples on a small scale. The grower emphasizes interest in it is increasing. "It's a mutation of the Jonagold Decosta. But when it comes to flavour and looks, it's more like the Elstar. In addition, this is the only Jonagold mutation that is so early. We only start with Jonagold at the end of September. The Robijn harvest starts next week on Wednesday, and is expected to be completed in a little over a week. Robijn can also be stored well, but we purely sell it as a summer apple. The new harvest is here again."
Continuing to see opportunities
Fruit company Kutschruiter has an acreage of 58 hectares with apples and pears. "We have the Robijn, Elstar, Jonagold and Conference varieties. We also do a bit of Sweet Sensation. Everything is cooled and sorted in-house. We also sort for others. All in all, that's around 6 to 7 million kilos yearly." Robijn can be bought from two locations in the Netherlands. "Sales are handled by The Greenery, and there's a lot of interest already." He waits to see how the season will go. "A large harvest is coming, but if we sell the apples neatly and early, I don't expect many problems. At the moment, it's a disaster that Russia is closed off, because we had some old harvest left. For the coming season, we have to adjust our sights, hoping to find new markets quickly. It won't be easy, but we'll have to continue to see opportunities."
He thinks the focus on consumption of local fruit is very positive. "In Poland, consumers had already started doing it. That got them through their stocks in no time. In the Netherlands, you also see a lot on Facebook and Twitter. This year, we can certainly use such initiatives to give domestic consumption a boost."
Fruit sales are handled by The Greenery
For more information:
Jan Kutschruiter
Tel: +31(0)527 25 28 22
GSM: +31(0)6-50435 238
fruitbedrijfkutschruiter@kpnmail.nl