Honeybear's imported new crop apples freshen supply chain

Honeybear Brands is freshening up the apple supply chain with the introduction of Chilean imports. This aims to provide retailers nationwide with a continuous supply of freshly picked apples and pears year-round, beginning in March. By leveraging its Chilean operations, Honeybear Brands is poised to enhance the availability and freshness of fruits in the market, catering to evolving consumer preferences and retailer demands.

"Incorporating imports into the fresh fruit mix is a smart long-term strategy as many domestic apples begin losing flavor and that crisp eating experience," said Don Roper, vice president of sales and marketing at Honeybear Brands. "Quality trumps quantity. We recognize that it is important to keep strong apple sell through at retail, and one of the most impactful ways is to make sure the consumer is purchasing the freshest fruit available."

Retailers often grapple with maintaining the freshness of apples during the spring and summer months. As a storage crop, apples undergo controlled atmosphere storage to prolong their shelf life. However, late-season storage apples may experience a decline in firmness and flavor, leading to diminished consumer satisfaction and increased waste.

"The specific issues retailers see with late-season storage apples include loss of pressure (firmness) and flavor (Brix content), resulting in weaker apples and increased condition issues," said Roper. Honeybear Brands' decision to introduce Chilean imports offers a solution to these challenges, ensuring retailers can provide consumers with consistently high-quality fruits throughout the year.

Honeybear Brands upholds stringent quality and freshness standards across its entire supply chain. Whether domestically grown or imported, the company prioritizes optimal growing conditions and meticulous processing practices. "The quality of the apples, either domestic or imported, all starts with how good of a job you do growing your apples," said Roper. By maintaining uniform standards of excellence, Honeybear Brands instills confidence in consumers and retailers alike, reinforcing its reputation as a trusted purveyor of premium fruits.

Roper noted it has been a superb growing season in Chile this year.  With near-perfect weather in southern Chile, “Honeycrisp fruit sizing and quality this year should be terrific,” he said.

Central to Honeybear Brands' commitment to retailers is its 100 percent supply assurance program. By diversifying production across North and South America, the company minimizes supply chain disruptions and ensures uninterrupted availability of fresh produce.

"We execute a 100 percent supply assurance program utilizing our dispersed growing operations," said Roper. “The benefit to the retailer is they have fresh product supply on their retail decks year round and don’t miss any sales opportunities. The old adage is once you miss a sale, it is gone forever.  We make sure our retail partners do not miss sales.”