Tasty apple varieties remain Belleharvest focus
Tasty apple varieties remain Belleharvest focus
Belleharvest Sales, Inc., headquartered in Belding, MI, is continuing to develop its apple program toward the high-flavor varieties that are increasingly in consumer demand, according to Chris Sandwick, Belleharvest’s vice president of sales and marketing. Varieties headlining this effort are Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala and Topaz.
The Topaz is an heirloom red, round apple, which has some russeting, he said. “It sizes up nicely and fits the profile for retail,” he noted.
“Varieties drive consumption and get consumers excited about the category,” Sandwick told The Produce News. “School systems call and want better tasting apples. We have lots of relationships with schools and we are comfortable working with quite a few districts. Our focus is flavor and that drives consumption. There are existing and new varieties that can foot the bill.”
On a broad level, Belleharvest focuses on customers “in the middle of the country.” This involves the Upper Midwest, Missouri, Texas and the Ohio River Valley, Sandwick said.
“As the global population increases, people are looking at U.S. produce, and we are exporting more to Central America and South America. That volume is growing and our relationships are strong.” Belleharvest exports via the ports of Miami, Philadelphia “or whatever makes sense for the customer.”
In marketing internationally, Belleharvest is very careful to research what apple varieties — and marketing materials — suit specific markets. “We don’t assume that all of our customers are the same. We have approached them all to tailor our [marketing] materials, with customers’ assistance.” Belleharvest attends to colloquialisms to suit different countries. “We don’t just Google” for simple translations, Sandwick noted.
