John Rice, president of Rice Fruit Co. in Gardners, PA, told The Produce News that although the company is well known for its apple production, it also does a sizeable business in peaches.

“We have about 250 acres of peaches that start harvesting the last week of July,” said Rice. “But this year we started about ten days late because of the cold winter and cool spring which delayed bloom. Apples are in the same situation, but that also means that we’ll be harvesting several days later than normal on both.”

Rice explained that there has been a shift in fruit harvesting over the past 20 years. Peaches traditionally finished around Labor Day and the company sort of sat back with little to do until Red Delicious apples started harvesting about 10 days later.

“But today we’re still harvesting peaches as apples are starting, so we don’t have that break,” he said. “Early apples are the most important to our customers and get the highest prices. They’re also the ones that consumers get most excited about, especially the Gala and Honeycrisp varieties.”

Galas begin in August followed by the Honeycrisp the first week of September.

Rice said that the Honeycrisp season is causing a lot of excitement — more than any other apple he’s seen in his experience.

“With the excitement of our Kiku apple and the Honeycrisp a much better impression is left on customers than did other varieties in past decades when the Red Delicious were newly released,” he said. “This is because the early Red Delicious, although very red and pretty, weren’t yet ripe so weren’t as delicious.

Rice Fruit Co. continually makes improvements to its facilities and equipment. It recently completed a sizeable addition to its primary packing line that will increase its capacity by an additional 50 percent.

“We are also going over our entire plant and scrubbing and painting — all in the name of our advanced food safety,” said Rice. “Some areas of the plant were built in the mid-1950s, and although we’ve maintained them very well, we felt it was time to give them a major overhaul. We are redoing floors and painting walls with paint that is totally washable. We’ve invested in high pressure steam cleaners to clean ceilings, packing lines and floors.”

He pointed out that when food safety inspectors walk in the door, they don’t want to see cobwebs in the ceiling corners or dirt on the floors.

“Everything is now shining clean,” he said. “This initiative is part of the new standard in the produce industry, and it’s important that we do everything possible to avoid encountering any type of disaster.

“The recent stone fruit recall in California in July — which is still ongoing and being expanded — is the exact sort of incident that we intend to avoid,” he added.

Rice Fruit Co. is now in its fourth successful season with the Kiku apple, a managed variety that the company has East Coast rights to.

“We continue to be very excited about the Kiku, said Rice. “The first year we had only a handful, but this year’s volume has enabled us to add a couple of new major customers to our list for it. We’ll be doing some promotion along the way.”

The Kiku is licensed to Rice Fruit Co. in the East by Columbia Marketing International in Wenatchee, WA. It is licensed in the Midwest to Applewood Orchards in Michigan.

“CMI does a number of promotions,” said Rice. “This year one will be to support the 2016 Women’s Olympic Cycling Team, which was chosen because it exemplifies fitness and nutrition, and it helps to raise money for the team’s Olympic expenses. At Rice Fruit we’re proud to be a part of this sort of initiative.”

In terms of packaging, Rice Fruit will be offering new and exciting pouches instead of conventional polyethelene bags. This consumer-friendly package provides a handle, zip lock closure and stands up in refrigerators. The pouch is also conducive to bright coloring, where polyethelene bags were limited.

“We are offering Kiku and Honeycrisp apples in the new bag this season, and plan to expand to other varieties if it is successful,” said Rice.

He added that part of the new packing machinery the company recently installed enables it to offer mesh bags for all varieties to customers who prefer them.