“We’re about right where we want to be at this time of the year,” says Jim Allen of Glenmont, NY-based New York Apple Sales Inc. “We don’t have anything that’s particularly oversupplied but of course there are varieties that are in high demand. But all in all though, we’re right where we want to be.”
This is unlike where New York Apple was the year before thanks to a better 2017 crop yield from New York State. “We had a nice crop this year. We had big sizes because of all the ample moisture which is just the opposite of the year before,” says Allen. “We had better than expected inventories going into the marketing season.”
Newer variety demands
Some more commodity varieties are holding their own in supply including Empires, McIntosh and Jonagolds. “Demand doesn’t go up and down too much—they’re pretty steady,” says Allen. This is unlike the more popular varieties such as Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisps and the Koru (the latter of which New York shares a three-way partnership with Oneonta Starr Ranch and Chelan Fresh in WA to import and grow the Koru here). “We’re getting close to our first imported apples coming in from New Zealand,” says Allen. “We have been bringing in Honeycrisp from Nova Scotia and they are moving through the market very rapidly at a very nice price. We’ll complement that with the Koru and Honeycrisp from New Zealand in May.”
While much of New York’s apples hail from New York State, it does also source domestically through some growers in Michigan and Pennsylvania.
Demand stays the same
Demand for apples meanwhile continues as expected. “We haven’t had very many retailers who’ve increased their purchases,” says Allen. “There are always times of the year when the business drops off a little bit but then comes back but we don’t see anything out of the ordinary. We see a very manageable crop demand-wise.”
Looking ahead, Allen sees good business continuing with certain varieties and domestic apples remaining in supply through to August. “And our imports, the Koru and Honeycrisp, allows us to keep them in the marketplace throughout the summer months,” adds Allen.
Jim Allen
New York Apple Sales
Tel: +1 518 477 7200
JimA@newyorkapplesales.com
www.newyorkapplesales.com