Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/514197
22 JUNE 2015 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com They're changing the way apples are marketed—and priced. by Richard Lehnert T he Honeycrisp apple is a Cinderella story. A somewhat homely apple, almost rejected from its own breeding program, is given a chance and is discovered by an adoring public and propelled on a rise to a height of success still not fully realized. The rags-to-riches story verifies the clichés: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It's what's inside that counts. You can't tell a book by its cover. Never give up. While the Honeycrisp story is not finished, it has inspired apple breeders, growers, and marketers to try to write a similar tale for a growing list of other new vari- eties. The most important part of the Honeycrisp story is that consumers will pay unprecedented prices if the apple has a wow factor. Few people think such a story can repeat itself naturally; many people think they can find new apples that, with help, will come close to the benchmarks Honeycrisp set. That's the key idea behind creating "clubs" in which varieties can be managed and marketed for success. Stemilt Growers, LLC, in Wenatchee, Washington, owned by the Mathison family, was an early adopter of that idea, getting on board with Pink Lady in the late 1990s. It is one of the largest grower/shippers of Pink Lady in the United States. Turning to a different variety, Stemilt bought the exclusive U.S. rights to grow and market the German-bred apple, Pinova, back in 2004, eventually adopting the trade- mark name Piñata and taking it to market in 2009. The name Piñata came from combining the names the apple was known by in Europe, Pinova and Sonata. The new Club APPLES New Varieties COURTESY OF STEMILT GROWERS Stemilt has the exclusive U.S. rights to market the German apple Pinova under the brand name Piñata.