Fruit sizes for this year's Washington apple crop have been larger than sizes from the previous season. Coupled with a large crop, growers and shippers are looking to move those larger sizes through outlets that typically don't take them.“We're two sizes larger than normal,” said Randy Steensma of Honey Bear Tree Fruit. “Along with our large crop, storage has filled up quicker, and from a marketing philosophy, we've had to adjust pricing to make these sizes attractive to retailers.” As of November 14, the price for a carton of Red Delicious 72s out of the Yakima Valley was as low as $16.00 and as high as $20.00. The price range was the same for a carton of Golden Delicious apples, and a carton of Fuji 64s went for between $14.00 and $24.00. A carton of Granny Smith 72s was between $17.00 and $24.00, and a carton of Gala 72s was between $16.00 and $22.00. A carton of Honeycrisp 64s went for $35.00 and as high as $50.00.
The larger sizes mean growers will send more of their larger fruit to retailers who usually don't take the larger sizes. Export markets could also help unload some of the larger-sized fruit.
“Traditionally, we don't export these large apples, but we could try to get some countries to go for them,” said Steensma. “We have to get buyers to switch to a larger size profile. We do have a vintage crop, so we're putting out aggressive pricing.”
For more information:
Randy Steensma
Honey Bear Tree Fruit Company
+1 509 663 2625