Lots of choices for apple consumers

QUINCY — Growers have reason to be satisfied, at least so far, with the 2017 apple season. Consumers also have reason to be satisfied with the choices available to them in the stores, according to apple industry experts.

Although all those consumer choices will require growers to work harder to make the profitable choices.

The 2017 crop was estimated at about 142 million boxes, almost but not quite a Washington record. “There seems to be a an abundance of small fruit,” said Steve Castleman, vice-president of sales at CMI Orchards, Wenatchee. Some of the company’s growers are in Grant County.

Apple crops probably will continue to be more than 130 boxes for the foreseeable future, said Karen Lewis, tree fruit specialist with WSU-Grant/Adams County Extension.

“I would tag it more at 140 (million boxes per year),” Castleman said.

“Our new normal is to climb a little bit each year and stay up there,” Lewis said.

Consumers are benefiting, and not just from the abundance of fruit. “With so many varieties of apples – oh, my goodness,” Lewis said. “We have so many options, so many choices now, for every palate.”

With all the choices, consumers should be able to find an apple they like, Lewis said, even in years when growing conditions aren’t perfect.

One of the axioms of the apple business is that big fruit sells better than small fruit, and Castleman said that’s the trend in 2017-18. Apples that are size “113 and larger should do really well.” (The size designation means it takes that number of apples to fill one apple box. So size 113 means it takes 113 apples to fill a standard cardboard apple box.)

“I think we’re really pleased with the condition,” Castleman said.

Currently the export market is good for Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith varieties, Castleman said. Washington growers have benefited from a relatively small apple crop in Europe, and small crops in New York and Michigan.

Another axiom is that the apple business is always changing. New varieties enter the market, old varieties lose popularity, there are new methods of cultivation, growers adjust – and then a new variety or new research comes along. It’s kind of like the wash cycle, with plenty of agitation along the way.

The market for organic apples continues to expand. More growers and apple processors-marketers are experimenting with proprietary varieties, Castleman said. “This is a whole new ballgame,” Lewis said.

Contemporary growers are part of the whole process, from developing varieties to marketing. “A lot of time and a lot of years watching that variety,” Lewis said. The modern apple business isn't for sissies. “It’s a challenge, and these guys step up to the plate every time,” she said.

But as things change they still stay the same. The consumer is the “ultimate decision maker,” Castleman said. Back in the day consumers had eight or nine varieties to choose from; now it’s more than 30, he said. “Some (varieties) are going to stick and some aren’t.”

The plethora of varieties mean some are apples are taking market share from others. Red and Golden Delicious, once the apple market mainstay, have lost market share over time, and some regional varieties that sell well on the East coast are facing challenges, he said.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.