In late July, fruit breeding company Zouk presented its new Ziola® summer apple. Belgian retail and trade were able to come and have a look at the company's plots in the last week of July and taste the new summer variety before the first commercial picking. "In the studies, the Ziola had stood out very positively, but we also wanted to see if there was interest in it from the market. That did turn out to be the case," said Vincent Nicolai of the family-run company from the Flemish town of Sint-Truiden.
Zouk, a sister company of Boomkwekerij Johan Nicolai that has been producing apple and pear trees for the European market and beyond for 40 years, is the business in which the Johan Nicolai family is specifically committed to innovation through apple and pear breeding. "For example, we are always looking for new varieties that can add to the existing spectrum of hard fruit. In the studies, the Ziola stood out quite quickly. The apple is a huge early variety, which inherited resistance to scab by crossing two varieties. However, what perhaps stood out the most was that the Ziola always coloured well under very extreme conditions and also suffered little or no sunburn."
"We started the research period in Belgium," Vincent continued. "Here we have had summers with sometimes more than 30 degrees for 10 days in recent years. Nevertheless, production remained optimal during these periods. At the next stage, we then grew some test trees and sent them to sites ranging from northern Norway to southern Spain and Italy. It was then found that it continued to colour well in all climates. We had actually never really seen that before, which made it a very interesting apple for us."
Is there a market?
Zouk then decided to plant two hectares of the Ziola in June 2023, in a joint venture with the Bangels family, so this year would see the first commercial picking. "We were actually positively surprised by that too," Vincent laughs. "This year we expect a harvest of around 9 tonnes. These are still relatively small volumes, but being able to harvest 4.5 tonnes per hectare in a first year is certainly not bad. "
And so the next step for the family business was to see if there was interest from the industry. "You get to a point where all the research results are positive, but is there a market for a new summer apple. An apple that comes mid-summer, just after the end of the cherry harvest. Growers want to go on holiday and traders want to switch to other products. That means that, no matter how good the apple is, the question is: will anyone run with it? In order to check this, we organised an event about two weeks back, where people could visit our plot."
Taking steps
"Those were very interesting days, because we were able to receive many parties," states Vincent. "And actually, all the response we received was extremely positive. The specifications were to our liking and, in addition, the timing of this early apple also proved ideal for many. After all, the harvest falls in a period when the Ziola can perfectly replace the import apple. Moreover, you effectively have 4 to 5 weeks in which the apple can be marketed. In the end, competing is difficult when the first local varieties come back on the market, but in the summer frame of about five weeks, we expect that there is indeed room on the shelf for a beautiful, flavourful apple that is also locally grown."
"As a result, the vast majority of parties appeared to see a bright future in it, so I expect we can make quick strides. This harvest is still mainly going to retailers, but another 10 hectares or so will be planted in Belgium and abroad in the autumn. It is not yet large-scale, but because of the interest, we expect to be in retail by next year. The open days were a nice first step, and now we want to slowly but surely start seeing where Ziola's future lies. As it is a free variety, interested growers can start working with it. Indeed, there are plenty of plants available for next and next autumn. That is where we are happy to lend a helping hand," Vincent concludes.
For more information:
Vincent Nicolai
Zouk
Lichtenberglaan 2050
3800 Sint-Truiden, Belgium
Tel: +32 11 70 20 00
[email protected]
www.nicolai.be