“On the eve of the U.S. Apple Outlook event in Chicago this month, I think many of us are finding that there is a lot of coalescing in the industry about working together to get this job done the proper way. A lot of us are being a bit humble and realize the benefits of teamwork.”
Fowler said that there is a lot to focus on. In upstate New York, for example, he expects a strong harvest in the coming weeks after the region dodged a late frost and some bizarre weather that even produced rare tornadoes in the area.
“We had some crazy weather, but we managed to make it through so far and the crop is looking really good,” he said, noting the coloring and size of the apples look solid.
While Fowler Farms offers a wide range of apples, Fowler noted that several varieties stand out, including SweetTango, SnapDragon and, of course, Honeycrisp, which is the backbone of the operation’s apple business.
“These varieties are very popular with consumers because of their unique flavors and we realize that we have to aggressively market them to shoppers to maintain momentum,” he said. “Promotions are more important than ever. So that means a lot of in-store activity and getting involved with events and organizations that will build brand awareness. For example, SnapDragon apples are the official apple of the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League and that generates awareness.”
Still, a quirky Mother Nature and labor remain key issues that must always be dealt with. While Fowler understands that he has no control over the weather, he says that addressing labor issues can be handled by creating more efficiencies and developing a better working environment for people in the fields.
“We strive to be more efficient all the time,” he said. “Right now, it is extremely difficult to find enough labor to work the fields and the people we do find are more expensive. The best way to handle this is to create more efficiencies that keep our costs down and to focus on the simple things to keep our employees more productive. Sometimes it is as simple as making sure our workers have the right tools they need to get the job done in the right way or it could mean something as basic as making sure that they have cold water in the field to stay hydrated.”
Working with retail customers is also important. Since the COVID-19 epidemic, Fowler says that many regional retailers in the eastern half of the country have been much more receptive to working with nearby farms.
“There are several reasons for this,” he explained. “One is that working with local or regional farmers will reduce costs simply because of logistics and transit. Second, people take a lot of pride in buying from local farmers. I believe people feel more comfortable buying from their neighbors and that is to our advantage. I think a number of retailers recognize that and they want to be a part of it.
“The future of apples is bright,” Fowler continued. “We have a lot of great varieties that are generating a lot of excitement at retail stores. We still have work to do, including managing the supply chain and doing a better job of marketing and promotions. We are up for the challenge.”
Photo: Austin Fowler’s son, Logan. Fowler Farms is a sponsor of the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester NY. The museum just had a grand reopening of the mini Wegman’s store that features Fowler apples.
