Grape-flavored apple making inroads
Grape-flavored apple making inroads
If you didn?t notice the macron (the long mark) over the "a? on the new fresh apple product being marketed in chainstores all over America, you would probably pronounce it stressing the "apple? portion of the word.
But the new "Grapple? brand apple does have a long mark on the "a? and is pronounced with the emphasis on "grape."
In the event that one forgets the proper pronunciation, the aroma of the product quickly corrects the error. The new Grapple product has a very strong scent of the Concord grape flavor, in which it has been dipped.
The product is the brainchild of the oldest nursery in Washington. For almost 100 years, C&O Nursery in Wenatchee has been providing tree stock and new varieties to the apple industry. But breeding a new variety is a time-consuming and laborious task. A few years ago, the researchers at C&O got the idea that flavor could be added to an apple, much the way it is added to many other items " as an additive. They tested the idea with Concord grape flavor and discovered that it worked.
About 18 months ago, C&O partnered with a Wenatchee-based advertising and marketing firm, and today the partnership is producing about 8,000 cases of Grapples a week and selling them throughout the nation.
?We test-marketed the concept with Bashas? in Arizona, and then we went to Kroger?s last year," said Skip Johnson of Get Fit Foods, C&O?s marketing partner. "This year we are in supermarkets all over the country. From Safeway to Wal-Mart " the list [of retailers] goes on and on."
The concept was a natural for Get Fit Foods, said Mr. Johnson. As an advertising and marketing agency, Get Fit Foods, owned by Mr. Johnson and his partner Blair McHaney, put together numerous promotions for the Washington Apple Commission. "We produced the Gold Gym?s Challenge that the Washington Apple Commission promoted for a number of years."
When the apple commission ceased its promotional activities, Get Fit Foods carried on numerous programs with many of the top apple shippers in Washington. "We have a group of clients that represents about 70 percent of the Washington apple production," said Mr. Johnson. "We run a number of programs with and for them including the 3 Apple a Day program (3appleaday.com) and this new Grapple program."
Mr. Johnson said that his company is involved in other marketing programs with other food companies with the common thread being promoting good nutritious foods in innovative ways.
The Grapple program clearly meets that objective. The "Grapple? brand apple begins as a Washington extra fancy Fuji apple. The web site devoted to Grapples (grapplefruits.com) states, "Of all apples, this is the one that takes on the grape flavor best."
Mr. Johnson explained that the natural high-sugar level of a Fuji allows it to absorb the nutritionally benign grape flavoring and create a very intense grape flavor. "The grape flavor is definitely the main flavor you taste," he said.
To transform the Fuji apple to a Grapple is a six-day process. It begins by taking a pre-sized, unwaxed Fuji apple and giving it a grape bath for an extended period of time. Mr. Johnson said the bath consists of "99.9 percent pure water and one-tenth of a percent concentrated Concord grape flavor." The web site says, "All ingredients are USDA and FDA approved and the process has been licensed by the Washington state Department of Agriculture."
The fruit then must cure for several days before it is ready for packing and shipping. It is packed in a clamshell four apples to the pack and placed in a master euro carton that holds 12 four-packs for a total of 48 apples.
Mr. Johnson said that the product?s wholesale price is based on market conditions, but at retail it has been typically priced at $3.99 per pack, which equates to $1 per apple.
?Some retailers have put it out as a loss leader at $2.99, but I?d say $3.99 is the average," he said.
Response from both retailers and consumers has been very good, said Mr. Johnson. "We have a survey on our web site and we get about 40 or 50 surveys completed each week," he said. "About 60 or 70 percent mention that their kids love Grapples. Today, we received an e-mail that simply said, "I love Grapples." "
The apple is being packed at one facility with fruit being provided by different shippers involved in the Get Fit Foods marketing campaign.
?We can only use pre-sized, unwaxed fruit and there are only five shippers that do that," said Mr. Johnson. "But all 10 shippers that are part of the program can broker the fruit to their customers. That is our distribution system."
To date, it has worked very well with the shippers providing the fruit and Get Fit Foods providing point-of-sale materials, information cards and promotional price incentives.
Mr. Johnson said that the current packing capacity is about 15,000 cartons per week, and by the end of the season he expects demand to warrant running at full capacity. If need be " and he expects it will " the company will increase packing capacity for next season.
And the partnership is not stopping with the grape flavor. Though he wouldn?t divulge what is in development, he did say, "Another apple that is flavored is not that far away. We are certainly working on that."
But the new "Grapple? brand apple does have a long mark on the "a? and is pronounced with the emphasis on "grape."
In the event that one forgets the proper pronunciation, the aroma of the product quickly corrects the error. The new Grapple product has a very strong scent of the Concord grape flavor, in which it has been dipped.
The product is the brainchild of the oldest nursery in Washington. For almost 100 years, C&O Nursery in Wenatchee has been providing tree stock and new varieties to the apple industry. But breeding a new variety is a time-consuming and laborious task. A few years ago, the researchers at C&O got the idea that flavor could be added to an apple, much the way it is added to many other items " as an additive. They tested the idea with Concord grape flavor and discovered that it worked.
About 18 months ago, C&O partnered with a Wenatchee-based advertising and marketing firm, and today the partnership is producing about 8,000 cases of Grapples a week and selling them throughout the nation.
?We test-marketed the concept with Bashas? in Arizona, and then we went to Kroger?s last year," said Skip Johnson of Get Fit Foods, C&O?s marketing partner. "This year we are in supermarkets all over the country. From Safeway to Wal-Mart " the list [of retailers] goes on and on."
The concept was a natural for Get Fit Foods, said Mr. Johnson. As an advertising and marketing agency, Get Fit Foods, owned by Mr. Johnson and his partner Blair McHaney, put together numerous promotions for the Washington Apple Commission. "We produced the Gold Gym?s Challenge that the Washington Apple Commission promoted for a number of years."
When the apple commission ceased its promotional activities, Get Fit Foods carried on numerous programs with many of the top apple shippers in Washington. "We have a group of clients that represents about 70 percent of the Washington apple production," said Mr. Johnson. "We run a number of programs with and for them including the 3 Apple a Day program (3appleaday.com) and this new Grapple program."
Mr. Johnson said that his company is involved in other marketing programs with other food companies with the common thread being promoting good nutritious foods in innovative ways.
The Grapple program clearly meets that objective. The "Grapple? brand apple begins as a Washington extra fancy Fuji apple. The web site devoted to Grapples (grapplefruits.com) states, "Of all apples, this is the one that takes on the grape flavor best."
Mr. Johnson explained that the natural high-sugar level of a Fuji allows it to absorb the nutritionally benign grape flavoring and create a very intense grape flavor. "The grape flavor is definitely the main flavor you taste," he said.
To transform the Fuji apple to a Grapple is a six-day process. It begins by taking a pre-sized, unwaxed Fuji apple and giving it a grape bath for an extended period of time. Mr. Johnson said the bath consists of "99.9 percent pure water and one-tenth of a percent concentrated Concord grape flavor." The web site says, "All ingredients are USDA and FDA approved and the process has been licensed by the Washington state Department of Agriculture."
The fruit then must cure for several days before it is ready for packing and shipping. It is packed in a clamshell four apples to the pack and placed in a master euro carton that holds 12 four-packs for a total of 48 apples.
Mr. Johnson said that the product?s wholesale price is based on market conditions, but at retail it has been typically priced at $3.99 per pack, which equates to $1 per apple.
?Some retailers have put it out as a loss leader at $2.99, but I?d say $3.99 is the average," he said.
Response from both retailers and consumers has been very good, said Mr. Johnson. "We have a survey on our web site and we get about 40 or 50 surveys completed each week," he said. "About 60 or 70 percent mention that their kids love Grapples. Today, we received an e-mail that simply said, "I love Grapples." "
The apple is being packed at one facility with fruit being provided by different shippers involved in the Get Fit Foods marketing campaign.
?We can only use pre-sized, unwaxed fruit and there are only five shippers that do that," said Mr. Johnson. "But all 10 shippers that are part of the program can broker the fruit to their customers. That is our distribution system."
To date, it has worked very well with the shippers providing the fruit and Get Fit Foods providing point-of-sale materials, information cards and promotional price incentives.
Mr. Johnson said that the current packing capacity is about 15,000 cartons per week, and by the end of the season he expects demand to warrant running at full capacity. If need be " and he expects it will " the company will increase packing capacity for next season.
And the partnership is not stopping with the grape flavor. Though he wouldn?t divulge what is in development, he did say, "Another apple that is flavored is not that far away. We are certainly working on that."
