CMI Orchards is crunching numbers as well as apples. 

Apples have always been king of the fall produce season, but over the last decade, winter apples have become much more in demand and apple growers have seen business grow substantially.

While there are always staples of the category, one of the reasons for the increased demand can be attributed to the myriad of new varieties entering the market.

Jessica Wells, executive director for Crunch Time Apple Growers, a Lockport, NY-based cooperative of apple growers, noted these are no longer your grandmother’s apples.

There is an opportune landscape for branded apple promotions as strong category builders, according to a special CatStat (category statistics) report looking at data from Nielson Answers, total U.S. for the 52-week period ending Nov. 27.

The U.S. Apple Association announced Mitchell Liwanag will join the organization as manager of association services. Liwanag brings a background of agriculture and association management experience to the role. His portfolio will include financial and office management; meeting logistics and program support; membership, data analysis and communications assistance; and congressional visit coordination.

With its premium Envy apple on track to be a billion-dollar brand and global demand for its other apple varieties on the increase, one of New Zealand’s largest apple growers and marketers, T&G Global, has announced significant investment in its apple operations, including $100 million for a new state-of-the-art packhouse.