FirstFruit Farms, by way of its premium-branded Opal apple, is partnering, promoting and funding youth-led non-profits through its philanthropic initiative, Youth Make a Difference. Known for its noteworthy bright-yellow and big-crunch, the Opal Apple is also bold on generosity!

In 2010 Honeybear Brands of Elgin, MN, set out to find a better way to farm apples. “We were trying to build better soil and organic matter, protect biodiversity in our orchards and find  alternatives to manufactured synthetic pesticides,” said Don Roper, vice president of sales and marketing at Honeybear Brands. Fast-forward a decade, and Honeybear finds itself leading the conversation with actionable goals and operational benchmarks outlined in its annual Sustainability Report.

Over the last decade, the apple category has evolved to sate a growing appetite for organics. Consumers crave new and exciting flavors; CMI feeds that hunger with a fourth tier of selling power devoted to high-flavor, branded organics available in one place. This is the perfect time to capitalize on that hunger and trade shoppers up, deliver incremental sales for the apple category, and give shoppers organic options that satiates their desire to eat well.

Crunch Time Apple Growers of Lockport, NY, reports its exclusive offering, RubyFrost, is up 25 percent this crop year. Described as an all-purpose apple, RubyFrost is known for its deep red skin and bright white flesh, ideal for baking or setting out on the counter for a grab-and-go snack.

Fowler Farms offers approximately 20 different apple varieties and also has several different types of ciders, so the company knows apples well.

Austin Fowler, co-owner of the Wolcott, NY-based company, has been surrounded by apples for most of his life, so he understands what it takes to be a success in the segment as well as anyone.

The festive lights have lost their twinkle and the eggnog is expired, mid-winter is here, and with it an invitation to slow down and hibernate — that is, unless you’re in the business of apples. Yes, winter apples are here, and whether it’s a bumper crop or if a growing region is down a bit, apples are on the move.