Rice Fruit to showcase new strains of the most popular apple varieties
Rice Fruit to showcase new strains of the most popular apple varieties
Few things shine as brightly as fresh apples in autumn and winter, and Rice Fruit Co. in Gardners, PA, has a crop that is in prime condition for the coming year.
John Rice, vice president, told The Produce News that the company has enjoyed a good harvest, which wrapped up in late October.
“We enjoyed a fairly typical growing season,” said Rice. “A cool, dry and sunny October allowed us to get through the harvest nicely and in good order.
Leighton Rice, Maggie Travis, Joi Hurd and Peter Wolfe, all representatives of Rice Fruit Co. “Our new controlled atmosphere storage facility was completed over the summer,” he continued. “It holds 315,000 bushels of apples in 10 CA rooms, so we are happy to report that our entire crop is in the best possible storage conditions.”
He also noted that the company plans to build another new CA storage facility within the next three years.
Representing Rice Fruit Co. at the New York Produce Show, booth No. 267 this year, will be Brenda Briggs, vice president of marketing, and Maggie Travis, a new sales associate with the company. Travis comes from a farming family that produces mostly organics, and she has worked for packinghouses in the region.
“Maggie comes to us with some great experience,” noted Rice. “Every year we have more apples to sell, so every year we add to our sales staff.”
Briggs and Travis will be promoting the company’s full line of apple varieties, which include Honeycrisp, Fuji and Gala.
Rice explained that the company and its growing partners are switching to the newer strains of these varieties, which are well received in the marketplace and by consumers.
“This is especially true of the ethnic retailers and greenmarkets in the Northeast,” he said. “Consumers there typically don’t have a lot of money, but the quality of their fresh produce is imperative and it shows in their buying habits.”
The company will also showcase its proprietary “KIKU” apple. Because it demands a premium, it is most often sold by higher-end retailers like Whole Foods and Costco. And these companies agree with Rice that the most effective way to introduce the apple to consumers is through demos.
“We are extremely happy with how the ‘KIKU’ is being accepted,” said Rice. “Visitors to the New York Produce Show will have the opportunity to taste it when they stop by our booth.”