Growing fruit for maximum quality and freshness takes a village, but for Douglas Fruit and Goose Ridge, it takes family. As long-time committed fruit growers, Goose Ridge will bring new acreage of apples to Douglas Fruit to be packed and marketed under the Stemilt World Famous Fruit brand. Family-owner of Douglas Fruit, David Douglas, and family-owner president of Goose Ridge, Bill Monson, said the partnership will be an equal benefit to their family-owned businesses and Stemilt.

Kissabel, an innovative range of apples with pink to intense red flesh, has arrived in North America. These apples with an amazing appearance and wonderful flavor are grown by Stemilt Growers, the United States partner of the IFORED program for production of the Kissabel range.

The University of Minnesota said fans of its Honeycrisp, Zestar! and SweeTango apples will love the newest addition to its family tree: Kudos brand MN33 apples.

Kudos is a red apple with a unique combination of traits, including an excellent crisp, juicy texture and a sweet, well-balanced flavor with occasional tropical overtones. It was developed by crossing the University of Minnesota hits Honeycrisp and Zestar!, making it a sibling of the popular SweeTango apple.

With a history that dates back more than a century, the Idaho apple industry plays an important role in providing fruit to consumers throughout the country, and this year there are high hopes for another successful season.

The apple-growing region of Idaho occupies a relatively small area in the southwestern portion of the state, nestled in a valley between the Snake and Payette rivers. This region is especially well-suited for growing high-quality apples, owing to the volcanic soil, abundant water supply and microclimate.

From the rich soil to the close proximity to Lake Ontario, Niagara Fresh Fruit Co. said its climate makes for some of the best grown apples in New York state. The most popular varieties it grows are Honeycrisp, Gala, Fuji, McIntosh, Cortland, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious as well as its managed varieties Snap Dragon, Ruby Frost and Evercrisp.

Even with some late-season frost that affected some blocks, the company still expects a great crop.

Sage Fruit Growers, based in Yakima, WA, farm several thousand acres of orchards throughout central and eastern Washington. While specializing in pears and cherries, the bulk of Sage’s manifest is Washington apples. “By using the most efficient growing methods available, we are able to deliver high quality products to our customers year-round,” said Kaci Komstadius, vice president of marketing at Sage Fruit.