By 2016, Riveridge Produce Marketing, Inc., headquartered in Sparta, MI, will be a supplier of Pink Lady apples.

Don Armock, president and partner of Riveridge, said Aug. 12, “We and our partners have started planting a strain of Pink Lady that matures three weeks earlier than the standard.”

The earlier strain apparently has all of the positive characteristics that have quickly brought Pink Lady to accounting for what Armock said is seven percent of national apple sales.

Among several new looks and innovations that Riveridge Produce Marketing has brought to its packaging in the last year, produce buyers will see a fresh new look showing up on shipping cartons, such as its lime-green-sprig of leaves atop a bright-red Riveridge signature, which ‘has more energy, seems fresher and a better fit in today’s food marketplace,’ according to the company.“There is a fair amount of planting in this area,” Armock said. Many of the plantings are 10 or 20 acres but many of those high-density plantings add up to a significant volume.

By 2016, “We will ramp up from zero percent of sales to something greater than zero percent,” Armock said, while grimacing over his own math.

Some Pink Lady plantings that will be packed and marketed by Riveridge are already two years old. More of the variety will be planted over each of the next two years. “We’ve got to learn as we go,” he said.

He also cautioned that small samples may not be representative of a larger planting and commercial production. But, so far, “we are pleased with the way this eats and it has all the characteristics of the mother plant. We are excited to add it to our portfolio.”    

This portfolio expansion “is consistent with what we’ve been doing in years past. We are focusing our program on promoting a certain varietal mix.”

Armock indicated that Riveridge is working on another variety that may prove worthy of introduction in three or four years. While the variety is promising, it is too early to have full confidence in the apple. That process takes production through three or four years.

If a variety is “good” that tends not to be good enough. “What is important is that a new variety must be very, very good and have distinguishing features and characteristics that the consumer identifies. It must have the right flavor profile, texture and appearance. There are a lot of good varieties out there. We want new varieties that will add to the category in the produce department. And add to all sales” of apples. New varieties, Armock believes, do not cannibalize other apple sales but add to consumer interest in apples and excitement to the category.

Another apple marketing approach of Riveridge is to move fruit in season.

The seasonality is a selling point for apples, as consumers strongly relate apples and apple cider to the harvest season. In the fall, “people are predisposed to buy apples.” Riveridge answers that by running some packing lines 24 hours a day. Or staffing two shifts with enough people that the work never ends for breaks. Workers alternate breaks to keep the apple packing alive.

Having a large apple crop this fall gives all the more reason to move a lot of apples this fall.

As recently reported in The Produce News, Riveridge has hired Mitch Brinks as account manager. “Mitch has enjoyed a long career in the produce business, including the last 11 years as sales manager at Jack Brown Produce,” according to a Riveridge press release.

Riveridge has also added Dan Winowiecki to the accounting staff and announced that Jeff Armock, manager of food safety and quality control and now in his fifth year with Riveridge, has assumed additional responsibilities for production scheduling and sales.