The 2020 apple season was a mixed bag of experiences as domestic production in Washington state was down approximately 15 percent from the previous year, which prompted pricing on mainline varietals to move up with the shorter crop, a release from United Apple Sales said. Regionally, club varieties had a strong season in volume and quality. With the price compression on domestic varieties, regional club varieties were competitively priced yet offered more desirable eating experiences compared to standard varieties.
Ward Dobbins, president of United Apple Sales in western New York, is a fourth-generation grower. “Our family has a 115-year history in the apple business and we have learned that each year is unique. You have to be prepared to manage your domestic and import programs to build a sustainable supply base for your retail partners."
“This year’s situation in Washington gave us opportunities to push our regional varieties. Our regional favorites--EverCrisp, Ruby Frost and SnapDragon--all had near-record years in production and the quality has been excellent. These varieties all have great flavor coming out of cold storage, which enables us to extend the season and give retailers great local apples well into the spring,” said Dobbins.
A key component of the success on the three varieties has been the appeal of locally grown produce. United Apple created a program—Because Local Matters--to draw attention to its relationships with local orchards and businesses supporting agricultural communities. An icon was created to draw attention to the locally produced fruit and has been included in packaging updates on poly bags, pouches and totes.
The packaging options of clamshell, pouch, poly bags and totes give retailers flexibility in developing promotional programs to hit a variety of price points for consumers seeking pre-packaged options to reduce time in the store or facilitate online orders and curbside pick-up service.
The packaging options from United Fresh for clamshell, pouch, poly bags and totes give retailers flexibility in developing promotional programs.
Import season preparation
United Apple is entering its 12th season as a full-line importer of fruit from Chile and New Zealand including apples, pears and cherries. Given the lower volume of domestic apples this year, there will be greater opportunities for imported fruit to offer an additional supply of mainline varieties including Gala, Granny Smith and Pink Lady.
“We have established our demand schedule for conventional and organic varieties and shared it with our seven import partners. Based on these conversations, we are expecting the first shipments to arrive on the east coast beginning in late March,” said Brett Baker, corporate vice-president of United Apple.
Within the apple category, organic varieties continue showing consistent upward trends with consumers. United Apple has planned for the additional interest in organic varieties by obtaining required certification as a handler of organic fruit. 
“We have completed the initial certification that qualifies us to receive and store import organic fruit. The next phase is for certification to pack and repack fruit in our facility. This is a significant commitment but one that will enable us to broaden our role as a full supplier of organic product for import and domestic fruit,” said Baker.
For more information:
Bob Solberg
Tel: +1 612-916-0187
bsolberg@comcast.net
https://unitedapplesales.com/