Poised with what appeared to be a high quality crop, New Zealand’s largest apple grower-packer-marketer, Mr Apple, was buoyant about the prospects of this season’s global sales programme when it caught up with Asiafruit in February.
With export programmes into Asia, Europe, the US and the Middle East now underway in earnest, early season indications are the company will exceed its expectations.
“While last season was a slightly later start, when you compare packouts against days packing, we are seeing even stronger demand in 2014 versus 2013,” Mr Apple’s retail sales manager Ben McLeod said.
Ideal growing conditions across the Hawkes Bay, where the majority of Mr Apple’s production is based, have resulted in a vintage year colour and sizing, although production volumes have dropped slightly, according to the company’s sales manager Andy McDougall.
“Our characteristic warm summer days, cooling coastal breezes and ideal amounts of rain have created great quality apples,” McDougall explained. “Colour is fantastic and the eating quality – in terms of juice and crunchiness – is superb.”
Strong demand appears to sit well with Mr Apple. Having invested over NZ$20m (US$17.36) in orchard regrafting, packhouse technology and coolstores infrastructure over the last five years, Mr Apple now supplies 25 per cent of all New Zealand apple exports.
“Mr Apple supplies a range of customers globally and sales are definitely up across our markets,” McLeod said. “Growing and weather related issues in other Southern Hemisphere apple production regions have meant less availability of apples in total. As a result, we are seeing increased demand for apples out of New Zealand.”
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