Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/514197
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER JUNE 2015 13 to be amazing and different at the same time. Many of the new ones, in fact, are spinoffs of Honeycrisp, variet- ies with a Honeycrisp parent. A lot of them are bicolored apples that look very much alike. "When consumers chose Honeycrisp, they embraced a bicolored apple, but that doesn't mean they prefer only bicolored apples," Rice said. "In my opinion, an apple still needs to be aesthetically pleasing." Because Washington State was for many years able to produce such colorful Red Delicious with the prominent lobes that make it so distinctive, it became a model for what an apple should look like—and many consumers, especially in Asia, agree with that still. "It is very distinc- tive in shape and color, and there are reasons why it dominated the market for 50 years." What Rice sees for the future is a rel- ative handful of new apples, probably club varieties, rising to the top and many others failing. He thinks the successful new apples will be marketed very intelli- gently—with advertising, samplings, and other inducements to get consumers to try something new. Seven attributes Rice lists seven attributes that he thinks a successful new variety should have. 1 "First it has to taste great, of course," he said. "But not just great. It has to have a certain 'wow' factor, like the original Honeycrisp had for first-time consum- ers." A unique Honeycrisp trait—strong cell walls that rupture with an explosion of juice and flavor—provides the "wow" factor for Honeycrisp. But different "wows" are needed for other varieties. 2 It must have enough visual appeal that a consumer would be inclined to pick it up with no other inducement. "After all, only farm markets have the oppor- tunity to put an apple into a customer's hand and say, 'This apple may not look great, but the eating quality is fantastic.' Personally I think we have taken the bicolored apple about as far as we can. I think we have enough bicolored apples now. I think breeders should be look- ing for pretty red and yellow and green apples again. I think that an important part of the appeal of any apple is that it is the most beautiful of all fruits." 3 It must stay hard and crispy under normal storage conditions. 4 It has to provide a consistent con- sumer experience. It was inconsis- tency in eating quality that ultimately hurt Red Delicious. 5 It should crop well and consistently for the grower. It should have good production per acre, with high packouts. And very definitely, it should not bruise easily. 6 It must be naturally large. The preferred size for most American retailers is 80 or 72, which is almost 3.25 inches in diameter. Smaller apples, even Honeycrisp, are bagged and sold at a lower price per pound. Europeans seem to prefer a medium sized apple, but most Americans don't, he said. 7 It must have a 12-month marketing season. Ironically, Rice said, the two most popular apples in the United States do not necessarily pass these tests. For one thing, Honeycrisp bruises very easily. And both Gala and Honeycrisp lose flavor over time, and packouts go down late in the season. Given the huge supply of apples that is building in the United States, Rice thinks we shouldn't have to import apples from the Southern Hemisphere to maintain the high quality of our apple displays the way we do now. One possibility is that some new variety will find its niche by tasting great in the spring and summer marketing seasons. "In my grandfather's day, York Imperial was his most popular apple in this late season, but it was a rather 'homely' apple, and we do not grow them any longer for the fresh market." Rice thinks Kiku is sufficiently differentiated to do well in the upcoming fight for shelf space. "It is an extraor- dinary apple. We've never experienced a variety like it. It has the highest sugar levels of any apple we've ever grown. It can get as high as 20° Brix, and it is crisp and juicy." It is a sure seller in Asian-American and other markets that love a sweet apple, he said. • Continued from Page 9 COURTESY OF KIKU Rice Fruit Company in Pennsylvania is a licensed producer of Kiku, which has maintained its premium price.