Kaari Stannard is the president of New York Apple Sales Inc., headquartered in Castleton, NY. She is also a partner in Lake Ontario Fruit Inc. in Albion, NY, and a partner in Pomona Packing in Wolcott, NY.

“New York Apple Sales is the exclusive marketer for Empire Fruit Growers,” said Stannard. “I also own Fish Creek Orchards, and orchard operation in Western New York.”

She said that the New York crop is in very good shape this year in both volume and quality, adding that there are no storage issues.

Comparing the crop to what a normal year has represented over the past decade, Stannard said this year’s crop is about average.

Kaari Stannard, president of New York Apple Sales.“But we will see continued growth as the new orchards planted over the past five years begin to really produce fruit,” she said.

Prices, she noted, are also stable and movement has been great.

“I see steady pricing with increases on some key items like the Fuji and Gala varieties, for example,” said Stannard.

New York Apple Sales is also marketing their imported product such as “Koru” Plumac cultivare apples from New Zealand in late April.

The apple was developed and is produced in New Zealand. It is touted as a very exciting new grower-friendly apple that combines high productivity, large fruit size, high pack-out and excellent storage abilities with no storage disorders.

The apple has a crisp, aromatic, honey-like flavor and offers excellent consumer quality.

The “Koru” Plumac cv apple is under controlled production and is exclusively available from McGrath Nurseries Ltd., who holds the world rights to production and marketing. The apple variety is managed for Geoff and Marilyn Plunkett who discovered the variety as a chance seedling in their garden on the South Island of New Zealand.

Plumac test trees are currently planted in the United States, but it will be some time before results are known about its ability to produce the same quality fruit here.

Stannard said that consumer demand has been excellent this year.

“One key driver has been the outstanding quality of fruit being shipped from New York,” she said.