Ontario could see an earlier end to its apple season. "The movement has been great," says Ken Lyons of the Blue Mountain Fruit Company. "We are winding down on all SKUs except Red Prince, Gala and Ambrosia. We have Ambrosia, Honeycrisp, Fuji, Mcintosh, and Red Prince left and all but Red Prince will be done in May."
This comes following a smaller 2025-2026 apple crop for the province, one that is down overall by eight percent over last year. "There was a drought this summer but with proper irrigation, our crop was not affected. Other growers without irrigation were down in the apple size by at least one count," adds Lyons.
© Blue Mountain Fruit Company
The team from Blue Mountain Fruit Co.
Local demand still high
That smaller crop combined with stronger local movement through the season is bringing on the early finish to the season. "There's strong pull through at retail as apples remain a good price value for consumers. Demand for processing and slicing quality is also very strong with market pricing continuing to rise in both Canada and New York/Michigan. Also, supporting local and supporting Canadian messaging is still strong in stores," says Lyons.
That said, pricing pressure from U.S. apple imports is expected to continue. "Competing with Washington crop pricing is one of the biggest challenges, along with not having enough supply for Ontario's market this year. Gala is still in high demand for example. Ontario will be importing more apples this summer," adds Lyons, noting that in the next few weeks, there will continue to be promotions on local fruit.
For more information:
Ken Lyons
Blue Mountain Fruit Company
Tel: +1 (519) 599-2125
[email protected]
www.bluemountainfruitcompany.com
