“We really like the PMA Fresh Summit as it gives us a chance to showcase our leadership in the area of new apple variety development. Our company led the charge in the commercialisation of Honeycrisp in Washington 20 years ago and we continue to bring new leading varieties and business ideas to be shared with new and long-time retail partners at the Fresh Summit.”
On the product side, Honeybear will be talking about new varieties in the developmental pipeline and new varieties they’ve commercialised in the last two years: RiverBelle (a regional release of an early season variety in the upper midwest) and the regionally-grown but nationally distributed variety Pazazz.
“Pazazz is a variety that has great appeal across the USA and Canada,” said Roper. It’s currently grown in Washington, Minnesota, New York and Nova Scotia. “By growing Pazazz regionally, we are able to address strong retail desires – provide great locally sourced fruit from regional growers of Pazazz and help reduce the carbon footprint of bringing products to market. Reduce the miles to market, produce a 'wow' item and everyone wins.”
Pazazz and RiverBelle are open pollinated Honeycrsip crosses. They both feature the snap and crunch texture of the classic Honeycrisp but have even more dynamic flavor. To support the introduction of these new varieties, Honeybear has put new packaging and promotion programs in place that help tell the story to the consumer. “From our latest pouch bag programs to retail ready display cartons, we make sure we have the right packaging approach that fits our retail partners merchandising strategy,” adds Roper. “We want offer a well-rounded, impactful program to each and every retailer.”
In addition to showing new packaging opportunities, Honeybear will also be on hand to discuss their improved agronomic practices and the benefits of their TruEarthTM growing protocol, implemented this past growing season with their midwestern grower base. This protocol is designed to safeguard the land, protect biodiversity in orchards while supporting the creation of sustainable local farming economies and giving peace of mind to consumers that they are getting the safest fruit that can be delivered in the region.
It’s taken Pazazz and RiverBelle almost nine years to get to market. “You don’t find an apple today and simply bring it to market tomorrow,” adds Roper. “The complexity of developing new apple varieties is immense, time consuming and very detailed. You need strong partners throughout the process to be successful with introducing a new variety. That said consumer reaction to the apple’s flavor and texture is the real test -- you must have a great variety to make a difference.
“There are nearly 20 new varieties that have been commercialised or about to be commercialised within the past five years, many of these won’t even exist 10 years from now. A new variety today can’t just be incrementally better, it has to be a fantastic apple – the consumer knows this, and they will move to the next great apple, not simply an average one.”
Pazazz and RiverBelle are also currently being tested in Honeybear’s southern hemisphere orchards where Pazazz potentially will be grown to meet growing retail demand for the variety.
Visit Honeybear Brands at booth #1249 at the PMA Fresh Summit.
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