News from the CF Fresh apple grower network is setting a positive tone for the coming apple season. “Some of our growers were hit by the network of hail storms that struck Washington at the end of July,” Import Coordinator and Food Safety Officer Addie Pobst told The Produce News on Aug. 20. “Thankfully, most of our growers came through those storms relatively unscathed. Despite the hail storm, overall the growing season has been very favorable to producing high-quality organic apples. The fruit has sized up nicely, and we have every expectation for the stunning color and the great flavor that Washington’s hot days and cool nights are so good at producing.”

CF Fresh is located in Sedro-Woolley, WA, and is dedicated to organic product. “One hundred percent of what we do is organic fresh fruits and vegetables,” Ms. Pobst stated.

She was asked to describe damage occurring as a result of the storms. And her comments echoed the observations of other producers. “Some growers had trees — both fruit trees and poplars planted as windbreaks — blown down and branches broken by the unusually strong winds which accompanied the hail, which are by far the most serious damages,” she commented. “On the fruit itself, damage ranges from barely visible dents to large craters, depending on the size of the hailstones and the maturity of the fruit. The interesting thing is the scattershot nature of the storm damage. In some places, the damage is really intense. And then just a few rows over in the orchard, there is little or no damage.” 

“Some growers may find their losses centered on a particular variety or orchard block,” she continued. “But in the overall picture, the storm doesn’t seem to have affected any one variety overwhelmingly.”

Prior to the storm, CF Fresh was preparing for a volume increase of approximately 15 percent when compared to 2011. “The losses from the hail storm essentially bring us back down to a normal sized crop year,” Ms. Pobst said. “So there will still be plenty of organic fruit available.”

CF Fresh markets most every mainline apple variety such as Fuji, Red Delicious, Golden, Granny Smith, Gala, Braeburn and Pink Lady. The company also moves organic heirloom and specialty varieties such Spitzenberg, Ambrosia, McIntosh, Honeycrisp and Winesap into the pipeline.

The Gala harvest has already ramped up, and apple harvesting will continue through the end of October and possibly extend into the beginning of November. “We’ll still be packing most of our apples under our ‘Viva Tierra Organic’ label,” Ms. Pobst noted. “We also pack under some of our growers own brands, as well as some of our customers’ private labels.”

On the domestic front, Ms. Pobst said the season is shaping up well. “The domestic market has been going really strong already, coming off the import season into the California season with high demand and terrific movement,” she said. “All indications are that it will be a strong market for Washington’s organic apple crop in 2012.”