GLENMONT, NY – To further enrapture consumers with apples and gain those repeat sales, there are three main features of a variety that New York Apple Sales (NYAS) prizes amongst others: flavor, taste, and crunch. And with hundreds of acres of high-performing varieties in production, there is a lot of excitement for the team and the upcoming season.

As Jim Allen, VP of Marketing, recently told me, the company is adding new varieties for their customers with KORU®, Sweetango®, Snap Dragon®, Ruby Frost®, and future plans for Evercrisp®, and Smitten™. 

“All of these newer apples have the same connection; they have that hard crunch and explosive characteristics that consumers are looking for,” Jim says. “Their sugar levels, hardness, and appearance are also wonderful, which helps boost consumer loyalty and increased purchases.” 

Excitement is swirling for the new varieties as NYAS reports expanded acreage across the board. KORU is currently harvesting out of New Zealand with domestic production coming later this year. Evercrisp has increased its New York footprint, with New Zealand’s Smitten also finding domestic ground as well. 

“Many of our retailers also continue to feature traditional varieties throughout the season,” Jim says, adding that New York’s unique growing conditions also produce classic Eastern varieties that consumers crave, such as; McIntosh, Empire, and other regional favorites.

With packing facilities in the nearly every corner of the state, NYAS says that it currently moves 35-38 percent of New York’s apple crop which makes it the largest single marketer in the state. So, just where does the company see the future of apples? In proprietary and club varieties. 

“What makes us a premier group is that we’re marketers, not order takers. That means we’re always looking for new markets to grow our sales in, while creating partnerships to satisfy our customers,” Jim tells me.

NYAS holds a number of unique marketing agreements on these apple varieties. Through its partnership with Borton Fruit Company and Oneonta Starr Ranch, the company imports and markets appealing KORU apples from New Zealand. Domestic production of the KORU brand apple will begin to expand with harvest coming in late September of 2017, with increases in volume coming from both its orchards in the East, and Borton and Oneonta providing the market with West Coast grown fruit.

NYAS is also looking to expand the Honeycrisp to a year-round program. Its production will continue to increase from New York orchards in the coming years. The company's collaboration with Scotian Gold Cooperative LTD., in Nova Scotia, provides its customers' superior product to market through May. We follow this with our imported Honeycrisp from New Zealand, starting in May, to provide a year-round Honeycrisp program to its retail partners and their consumers.

NYAS also boasts new planting systems and eight cutting-edge packing facilities amongst its operations, with even further updates in the pipeline to increase production.

"Growers who are part of NYAS have made tremendous strides in both storage and abilities," Jim finishes.

As New York Apple Sales continues to focus on uplifting the apple category, stick with AndNowUKnow for all the latest reports.

New York Apple Sales