North Bay expects record apple crops in 2025

Keith Loria

February 10, 2025

North Bay Produce is an international cooperative comprising 31 grower-owners from North, Central and South America, dedicated to delivering fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the year.

Originally established as an apple company, North Bay has its roots in apple cultivation, and apples continue to be an essential component of the extensive range of fresh produce grown in Michigan.

“This year, the biggest development for North Bay regarding apples is the early start to the season and the strong market activity,” said Ken Korson, apple category manager for the Traverse City, MI-based company. “North Bay’s customer base for apples and all commodities has continued to grow, creating more opportunities to expand the apple category.”

apple The company enjoyed a solid year in 2024 and it was the largest year for apples for North Bay ever, and 2025 is expected to be even larger.

“The category is performing very well and should maintain core varieties for 12 months,” Korson said.

For the winter, North Bay is promoting Galas, Reds, Fuji, Pink Lady, Evercrisp, Ambrosia and Macs. During the season, Korson feels retailers can boost sales by promoting apples as a stable and plentiful commodity during these times of higher inflation and shortages in many other commodities.

The main part of Korson’s job involves communicating with the growers from bloom to harvest. During the bloom phase, he advises the growers on how much to thin their crops, depending on customer demands and the size of the fruit they are targeting.

“In the harvest phase, I guide them on which fruits to pick first and which ones to place in the CA rooms for later in the season,” he said. “The upcoming season appears very promising, as we expect a clean crop with no residual old crop apples carrying over into the new season across the country, which is always advantageous for the upcoming 2025 season.”

North Bay works with a diverse range of customers, with retail as its primary focus, complemented by wholesale, foodservice and USDA.

“Our sales team builds strong relationships with our customers by addressing their needs and delivering on our promises,” Korson said. “As we get to know our customers better, our relationships become even stronger.”

As part of his responsibilities, Korson builds strong relationships with Michigan apple growers, discussing industry challenges and sharing insights from his extensive experience in the category.

The biggest challenges North Bay faces with apples are the rising costs of labor, packaging and growing due to high inflation. Still, the company has the experience and knowhow to work through these issues to provide the best apples for its customers.

“By adopting improved growing practices and increasing our production capacity, we can now serve customers that we previously could not,” Korson said. “The primary reason for this improvement is our investment in high-density fruit growing, which enables us to consistently produce larger, more colorful fruit for year-round programs.”

It’s a team effort at North Bay and Korson is incredibly proud of the dedicated people at the company and the growers they work with, who serve as an inspiration.

Keith Loria

About Keith Loria |

A graduate of the University of Miami, Keith Loria is a D.C.-based award-winning journalist who has been writing for major publications for close to 20 years on topics as diverse as real estate, food and sports. He started his career with the Associated Press and has held high editorial positions at magazines aimed at healthcare, sports and technology. When not busy writing, he can be found enjoying time with his wife, Patricia, and two daughters, Jordan and Cassidy.

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