One of the newest varieties of apples is in limited supply – but only because it’s just getting started in its infancy. Whether a new breed of fruit is created by accident or on purpose, the results are almost always positive and it’s up to growers, marketers and Mother Nature to see that it’s successful.
Fuji-Honeycrisp cross
According to Bill Dodd, the MAIA-1 apple – marketing in the U.S. as EverCrisp® – wasn’t specifically planned for but the result of a successful propagation. “When you’re breeding apples you have a laundry list of things you’d want, so you start using parents that have desirable characteristics and cross them, hoping the good characteristics of the two parents follow through to the offspring,” he says. The apple was created from Fuji and Honeycrisp parents; Fuji because it has great storability and flavor and Honeycrisp’s desirable crisp texture he says.
Initial taste trials indicated popularity
By 2005/2006 trees were old enough to start bearing fruit. Some of the apples that showed promise (which Dodd says were the ones that ended up becoming EverCrisp) were taken to a foodie show in Cleveland for taste comparisons with apples already in existence on the market. “To our surprise thousands of people sat down and evaluated the apples and scored them. We were hoping to get 250 responses over four days and I think we had close to 2,000. It was a roaring success.”
Tree sales increasing
Last year was the first year a small supply of fruit was available to sell (about 2,000 cases) in a handful of retail markets. This year he anticipates about 20,000 cases to be made available and a little over 100,000 next year. “We’re just ramping up on the fruit. So far so good.”
Michigan, New York & Ohio are majority growers
The limiting factor on creating something new, Dodd says, is the budwood. “You have to grow more trees to create more buds to create more trees,” he explains. By around 2013 there were a couple thousand trees; in 2014 around 30,000 trees and in 2015 they sold about 235,000. The variety has been made the variety available to all growers. Dodd asks that they become a member of the breeding program so that it can be perpetuated and possibly expanded to other produce. Most of the trees are planted in Michigan, New York and Ohio, although about 32 states have planted them. As to whether or not Washington will have any, Dodd says that’s the question. There is interest in the tree, however the state has its own variety, the Cosmic Crisp.
Great storability
Availability will depend on the supplier. Some producers are waiting until they’re done with their Honeycrisp supply. “Then they’ll be hoping to transition the customer into EverCrisp because it keeps very well. Depending on the marketer or operation there’s diff strategies for how it’s going to be released and what they’re going to do with it,” Dodd says. He continues to be amazed by the storability and durability of the apple. “It keeps really well and it keeps its texture for a long time. That’s one of the reasons why people are thinking of (waiting and releasing it) later into the season.”
Open variety apple
Opportunities for the apples’ success also lie in the fact that it’s an open variety in the U.S. (though it will be a controlled variety worldwide). Pick-your-own growers and Farmer’s Markets will be able to sell it. “We think that’s going to be an advantage to us as far as introducing the variety to consumers,” Dodd notes. “A lot of people who (get them there) are going to try it and like it, and seek it out at the grocery store and that will help us drive sales.”
Dodd says it has the potential to be an “everyday apple” because of its durability; it has much less shrinkage at the grocery store apple compared to other varieties. “It has a lot going for it. The marketplace and the consumers and going to determine what happens with it but we think it has a really good chance because of its characteristics.”
For more information:
For more information:
Eric Davis
EverCrisp / FLM Harvest
