Upgrades to apple storage, handling, sorting and packing facilities is of utmost importance to producers that continually look for ways to improve the condition of the product that ends up on retail shelves and in foodservice kitchens.

Fowler Bros. Inc., in Wolcott, NY, is one company that keeps its facility and orchards updated using the latest technologies.

“We currently upgraded our pre-size facility,” Lee Peters, vice president of sales and marketing, told The Produce News. “The line pre-sorts the apples as they come out of the field bins, and then puts them back in the bins sized specifically so that we can pack to order. Upgrades like this are an ongoing process. Technology changes and we have to bring it in and adapt to it.”

Fowler Bros. offers a wide variety of apples. Its quality assurance process maintains extremely high standards, assuring safe, bruise-free arrival to customers.

The company also produces numerous managed apple varieties, such as the “SnapDragon” and “RubyFrost,” two exciting new apples developed by Cornell University’s apple breeding program.

“We have increased production on these varieties, as well as on the new ‘SweeTango,’ a variety developed by the University of Minnesota,” Peters noted.

“And we continue to increase production of ‘Zestar!’ and Honeycrisp varieties.”

Peters said the company does very well with the Honeycrisp.

“We don’t have storage issues with Honeycrisp because we sell out of it before we can even think about storing it,” he said. “But some people tell us that the ‘SweeTango’ is the best apple of the lot. It all depends on what people like in their apple.”

All club varieties are supported by promotional initiatives that typically include consumer-oriented websites, social media and event interaction. Peters noted that the promotional campaign behind “SweeTango” is particularly strong.

He noted that Fowler Bros.’ overall crop looks good this year, but it is lower in volume.

“It’s down between 25 and 30 percent,” said Peters. “This is likely due to a combination of factors. On May 23 we had some frost for a couple of hours, and that may have had some impact. It’s not the heavy load on the trees that we like to see.”

The company started harvesting the Jersey Mac variety on Aug. 10. It then heads into full-blown harvesting.

“Between school starting, harvest underway and fall at our front door, it’s a great time of year for apples,” said Peters. “We’re at that point where we can almost see the apples changing colors as they’re developing on the trees.”