Idyllic Washington weather sets the stage for a phenomenal CMI Orchards apple season
Idyllic Washington weather sets the stage for a phenomenal CMI Orchards apple season
CMI Orchards is gearing up for a new crop with a large selection of branded, core and organic apples and pears all in one place. Despite a late bloom, CMI’s Robb Myers, vice president of business development, said it was an excellent one.
“We set a lot of king blossoms this year,” said Myers, “and the best blooms always produce the best fruit. On top of that, the weather hasn’t been too hot, which means the trees are able to focus on growing the fruit rather than trying to survive any sort of inclement weather conditions.”
This perfect alignment of factors yields a promising outlook for the upcoming new crop, said Joel Hewitt, the domestic sales and organic manager at CMI. “Sizing looks optimal, and the condition of the crop is shaping up nicely to have year-round availability for most of our varieties," he said. "All indications suggest we’ll see a stellar crop.”
Hewitt said CMI understands the need for apples to be on the shelf year-round, and that’s exactly what their extremely knowledgeable growers are accomplishing.
“Our growers are multi-generational orchardists carrying legacies that are ripe with expertise,” he said. “They’re able to play matchmaker by planting popular, profitable managed varieties and the best-tasting core varieties in select micro-climates and harvest altitudes, which allows them to bring the freshest, highest quality, most popular products to market.”
These experienced growers will drive this spectacular incoming crop, said Hewitt. “Our forecast shows that we’re going to be up in everything: organic, core, and managed variety volume.”
Scott McDougall of McDougall & Sons, an ownership arm of CMI, remains optimistic for a spectacular harvest. “This is one of the nicest, cleanest apple crops I’ve ever seen at this point in the growing season, with minimal russeting and blemishes,” said McDougall. “We’re hopeful for a great season ahead, pending any unforeseen circumstances.”
With harvest just beginning, Hewitt said it’s incredibly important for retailers to capitalize on this quality crop to meet increasing consumer demand: “Shoppers will enjoy fruit with exceptional flavor and color this coming season, and retailers who start off the season prepared — with planning, promotions and point-of-sale materials — will have an advantage.”
