Reinette Clochard, an old French apple variety is back on the market. Pascal Sauvertre explains about this popular variety in France, “The name reverts to an old rustic variety. Clochard means a 'homeless person' in French. We called the variety that because you can keep it at a normal temperature for 5 or 6 months. It was an apple people used to hold in their stores to keep it for months. It is like a homeless apple that is always there.” The texture of the Reinette Clochard is very mild and soft. It is the opposite of the new apple varieties that are crunchy and juicy. “The Reinette has almost a creamy flavor”, Pascal explains. “It is the mother variety of Chante Claire which appeared almost 15 years ago and is extremely popular in France and in the north of Spain. That is why we think it is the right time to re-introduce the Reinette Clochard.”
Pascal explains about the volumes and markets of the Reinette Clochard. “Volumes are increasing rapidly. Traditionally we have 300 tons a year, but this season we have the challenge of marketing 500 tons. Next season we want to sell 700 tons. The market for Reinette Clochard is the north west of France, in Paris it is a very popular and specialized apple, some in Madrid, Spain and Moscow.
“It is not comparable with other varieties. Reinette Clochard is the mother variety of Chante Claire. It is really unique. It could be compared to an old US variety, the McIntosh apple which is very soft and mild, but the Reinette has more aroma and sweetness. It has a brix well above 14 and also in terms of texture, whether you cook it, eat it or peel it, it is very unique. When it comes to packaging, we are trying to stick to the old way of packaging. We pack the apples in wooden boxes to give it the traditional touch, we have wooden boxes of 4, 8 and 12 kg for the smaller calibres. One particular feature is that we place a polythene bag in the wooden boxes to protect the apples from dehydration. This will keep the apples in the right condition.”
The area where the Reinette Clochard originates from, Pommes deux sevres, is the largest grower of the Reinette and the owner of the brand. “There is a production of around 700-800 tons in France and we market more than halve of it. We are the ones promoting the variety. The export up to now is very limited. One century ago, it was the first apple to be exported from France because you could load it into vessels. That was the only fresh food that sailors could keep during their time at sea. We concentrate on local markets, because that is where most of the demand is, but we do export small amounts to Spain, Belgium and recently Russia.
Finding new customers is the biggest challenge for this variety, Pascal explains why. “We intent to find new customers elsewhere, because most of our customers in France right now are elderly people. Now we want to promote our variety in the Russian supermarkets and at Spanish and Belgium specialists. We are convinced that it is a very different variety compared to modern varieties. It is a very traditional apple. We believe that as a reaction to the new varieties, customers who are used to modern varieties of apples, want to try something different in terms of apples. It is the opposite of the Royal Gala or Pink Lady.
“For the time being, we want to reach our goals. For example we want to sell and produce 700 to 800 tons a year. We don’t plan to expand more than this. The production zone is very narrow we can’t really extend it much. Our vision is that it will distribute in very various areas. We want to renew the demand for this apple variety and also finding new dealers and new distribution points.
For more information:
Mr JEGOUX Arnaud
Mobile :+33 630 973390
Fax :+33 549 957919
contact@reinette-clochard.fr