Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/57720
1990 Assessment rate increased to 25 cents a box 2003 Commission downsized after lawsuit 1987 New Apple Commission headquarters built in Wenatchee 1994–2000 Steve Lutz 1998 Assessment rate increased to 40 cents 2000–2003 Welcome Sauer 2003–2008 Dave Carlson 2009– Todd Fryhover SYMBOL OF QUALITY Washington apple logo recognized worldwide become recognized worldwide as a symbol of quality. The top of the apple represents the commission's global focus, while the lower part of the apple reflects that more than half the apples that Washington exports are Red Delicious. The logo will be showcased at major international T produce events this season. Commission President Todd Fryhover hopes that marketers will also use the logo on their apples in this commemorative year. The commission was formed in 1937 but didn't create a Washington apple logo for another 24 years. It advertised Washington apples and festooned retail stores with colorful signs and banners, but there was no Washington apple brand to create continuity among the scores of Washington fruit warehouses that were marketing their own brands. "For years, there was idle talk about a trademark: a symbol that could be used in hundreds of ways, year after year, the kind of recogni- tion device which has proven so successful for so many American products," a news report noted after the logo was introduced. First logo In late 1960, the commission asked design experts at the Container Corporation of America to develop a trademark. Intensive research went into finding the right design—something simple and bright that would symbolize quality and the Washington apple. The apple within a circle was described as having a "slightly modern" form, with "Washington" across its face. It was unveiled the following year. The commission put the trademark on all its advertising and mer- chandising in-store banners and display pieces, and marketers began to use it on their advertising pieces, apple boxes, and even stationery. Notably, the apple was of indeterminate variety. In 1937, the year the commission was established, 40 percent of the apples produced in the state were Winesap, and it was still a significant variety in the 1960s. Distinctive lobes However, by the 1980s, Red Delicious accounted for more than 70 percent of the crop. In 1982, Joe Brownlow, then manager of the com- mission, announced a new logo, which he described as "much less con- servative—more modern, with more motion." The new logo resembled a Red Delicious apple, with its distinctive lobes. "The biggest variations are the removal of the outer circle and strengthening of the word 'WASHINGTON'," Brownlow wrote in a letter to the industry. "The latter is most important. We've always regretted that our name wasn't given more prominence in the initial logo. It www.goodfruit.com he Washington Apple Commission is marking its 75th anniversary on March 17 with a new com- memorative logo, which it will use exclusively for the 2012 crop. It is based on the Washington Apple logo that has becomes all the more important today and tomorrow, in the light of the dramatically bigger budgets which apple growers have approved for consumer advertising and promotion." The assessment at the time was just under 10 cents per box, and the state's production totaled 47 million boxes. During the 1990s, Red Delicious production declined while Washington's production of Fuji, Gala, and other new varieties increased dramatically. By 2000, Red Delicious accounted for only 46 percent of the crop. Rainbow In 2001, the commission introduced a new rainbow colored logo, calling it a "Washington Gourmet variety logo." It still had the shape of the previous logo, but the rainbow effect represented the breadth of varieties grown in the state. The commission continues to use both the red logo and the rainbow logos. Dale Foreman, a commission board member who has twice served as chair, said the value of the Washington logo is incalculable. "It's prob- ably one of the highest recognized brands in fruit, and it carries with it a solid reputation of quality. You can't buy that." In export markets, it conveys a wholesome image as well as being a symbol of quality, he said. It conjures up images of snow-capped mountains, crystal-clear streams, and verdant orchards, which appeal to people in crowded Asian cities. "They know we're growing a very healthy product in a very clean environment, and that's a powerful combination. People are willing to pay more for an apple that comes from here," Foreman said. Larry Olsen of Prosser, commission chair in 2001–2002, said the Washington logo represents the best apples in the world, and the fact that producers in other areas try to counterfeit it just underlines its value. "When you're consistently copied by other people—even illegally—it means you're doing something right," he said. Olsen fears, though, that the logo will lose its significance on the domestic market where the commission is no longer doing promotions and marketers promote their own brands. "I think over time we're losing the impact because there's no program behind the logo to continue to remind people of exactly what we are." George Allan of Yakima, a current board member, said there's uncertainty about the future of the logo, as valuable as it is. "I don't know that it's necessarily going to be maintained by the industry," he said. "A lot of people are moving towards their own brands." He expects the evolution away from the Washington brand to con- tinue even in overseas markets as more and more of the fruit is shipped directly to major retailers, rather than through independent importers. "It's a concern," he said. —G. Warner GOOD FRUIT GROWER MARCH 15, 2012 23 - - - — 1990 - - - - — 2000 - - - - — 2010