New apple strains are on their way, varieties with characteristics never seen before. “We are hoping to find a partner for a strain that has a storing capacity of eight months in regular cold stores in 2016 or 2017. This would be an ideal solution for far-off destinations. With this apple, you could really distinguish yourself. Competitors who send Elstar or Jonagold to those far-off destinations, would no longer stand a chance. In warm countries where the cold chain has not been taken care of properly, familiar strains turn soft in just a few days. We have found something for that,” Nicolas Stevens, manager of Better3fruit, says enthusiastically.
Extremely long shelf life
“Meanwhile, we have been testing an apple strain that is very productive and has an extremely long shelf life for several years now. In a regular cold store set to several degrees Celsius, the apple remains ripe for eight months. After that it still has a shelf life of six weeks. It is a fruit that remains crunchy and juicy. Hopefully we will soon find the perfect partner for this strain.”
Definition club strain
Stevens indicates that strains of the future are headed more and more towards ‘club’. “A club strain is not always described or understood in the same way, but for me it is a strain that is managed. It does not always have to be a premium apple that is the best in everything, but a strain that excels in one certain characteristic, such as a long shelf life. Each apple has its own target audience and a ‘club’ is just a part of the chain that wishes to supply the best possible product.”
Nicolas Stevens in the tasting orchard of Better3fruit.
Difficult to choose
The introduction of a new strain is preceded by a great many things, and does not always go smoothly. “Both cultivation and cultivators make it difficult to introduce new strains. Cultivation includes an orchard that should produce for 15 to 20 years to recover the costs on the investment. You do not just change your orchard. Cultivators make it difficult because they do not often work together enough to be decisive. They should visit producers in other countries, they have several thousand hectares and work together in an open and transparent manner.”
Stevens continues: “Imagine that I have a new apple strain for the domestic market in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. This strain would lower the cost of production by ten cents. If this is also a ‘managed club strain,’ meaning quality can be checked on at all times, this might even increase by another ten cents. That would be an enormous impact on the cultivator. But then a group that wants to collaborate on this across borders should step up. The development of new strains takes at least 15 years. We have to be able to recover those costs, and that will not happen with just a few hectares of planting.” Stevens expects this will happen, even if not right away. “Especially Elstar and Jonagold are being cultivated now for our ‘own’ market, and more and more people are realising that this has no future. But I do not currently see a global vision or a communal goal in our countries. I am waiting for when the choice will be made to market a good product together, a product allowing cultivators to make a profit.”
Focus on the market
Stevens is also annoyed by the short-sighted vision regarding export, which is a result of the current situation. “People are saying Russia should return or a new market should be found for our products. And should that new market then have the same wishes as Russia? How is that going to work? It is better to look at it from the other direction, what is that new market looking for and what can we do for it? What do they want? Cultivators should start producing focused on the market, instead of pushing their products onto different markets. And that is exactly where Better3fruit can help, a pallet of several strains for several destinations and flavours. In this manner, the risk is spread out, and you can look back on a sustainable cultivation for cultivator and consumer.” For more information:
Nicolas Stevens
Better3Fruit
Steenberg 36
B-3202 Rillaar - Belgium
T: +32 (0)16 24 16 10
F: +32 (0)16 22 88 95
www.better3fruit.com
info@better3fruit.com