Honeybear Chilean Honeycrisp bonanza expected
Honeybear Chilean Honeycrisp bonanza expected
More than ten years after investing in Southern Hemisphere Honeycrisp, Honeybear Brands is reaping dividends with a record harvest of Chilean Honeycrisp that will allow the company to expand its program with existing retailers and open new markets in 2016 and beyond.
The Minnesota-based grower and developer of premium and new varieties will ship more than a quarter of a million cases of Honeycrisp apples with the first arrivals landing on both East and West Coasts in late April.
“Ten years ago we had a long-term vision,” said Don Roper, vice president of Honeybear Brands. “We wanted to create year-round supply of premium flavored Honeycrisp for our retail partners. As Honeycrisp is a site-specific variety with very particular soil and micro climate requirements, we identified and invested in the best southern hemisphere growing regions to produce the best apple. After painstaking care and ongoing investments, we are now realizing that vision with our young orchards maturing and producing incredible fruit in volume with high color, unparalleled texture and exceptional taste.”
As retailers have experienced and consumers are now learning, late storage domestic Honeycrisp apples harvested in fall and then stored can lose both pressure and flavor at this time of year. With the addition of its orchards in Chile, Honeybear Brands is the only company growing Honeycrisp in both North and South America, and capable of providing retailers with a year-round ‘fresh crop’ flavor of Honeycrisp.
Honeybear Brands and parent Wescott Agri Products was granted production and commercialization rights for the Chilean Honeycrisp by the University of Minnesota, developer and owner of the original variety. The company was one of the first to grow Honeycrisp in Washington state and Chile, and is widely recognized as the premier Honeycrisp label in the United States.
“Our retailers readily anticipate the arrival of Honeybear’s Chilean Honeycrisp crop as they know their customers can look forward to an exceptional apple eating experience and fresh-picked flavor in early spring, through summer as well as the traditional fall season,” added Roper.
