Apple growers of SnapDragon and RubyFrost varieties in New York are having a successful season despite 2019-2020 being a competitive apple year in North America. “We had great harvest conditions and a good sales year,” says Rena Montedoro with Crunch Time Apple Growers. “It definitely is a very competitive year with the price of the Washington Honeycrisp apple dropping and the new Cosmic Crisp variety hitting the market. Fortunately, these events haven’t hurt our sales and I tribute that to both varieties being superior tasting.”
Top 2 photos are SnapDragon and bottom two are RubyFrost apples.
Success with Costco and Aldi
SnapDragon and RubyFrost are relatively new apple varieties on the market, but the word is spreading. “Sales continue to go up and we are doing well on repeat sales,” Montedoro mentioned. “This season, we are having great success with Costco and Aldi.” Aldi has re-branded its stores and is focused on selling quality produce. “It is one of our leading retailers right now and it is very exciting to be part of their mix.”
Sales in Canada
The Northeast and Southeast register the highest concentration of SnapDragon and RubyFrost sales. According to Nielsen data that includes New England as well as the Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic regions, SnapDragon and RubyFrost rank number 7 and 13 respectively in total dollars of all premium managed varieties. “This is remarkable given the limited distribution of these apples as well as the limited years these apples have been available for consumers,” the report said. In addition to a strong presence on the East Coast, the apple varieties are also making their way into Washington state as well as British Columbia. “This year, we’ve been able to significantly increase our sales into Canada,” said Montedoro.
What is the secret to the success of these two apple varieties? “First of all, they are delicious,” commented Montedoro. “What’s exciting is that each variety has a very distinct group of fans. Consumers follow them on social media and social media engagement is over eight million,” she shared. The good news is that SnapDragon will be available for a few more months while availability of RubyFrost continues until late spring/early summer. This variety goes into controlled atmosphere storage right after harvest where it ripens and gets even tastier. “It becomes more delicious as time goes on.”
For more information:
Rena Montedoro
Crunch Time Apple Growers
Ph: +1 (716) 300-8072
rena@crunchtimeapplegrowers.com
www.snapdragonapple.com