Just days away from the start of its 2017 apple harvest, Rainier Fruit Co. in Yakima, WA, was expecting the crop to come in much the same as cherries and blueberries — with excellent quality and quantity.

According to Blake Belknap, Rainier Fruit’s director of domestic sales,  “We often say that our apple crop follows the cadence of the crops harvested before it, and our cherry and blueberry crops were excellent, providing us high hopes for apple season.”

Belknap noted in mid-August, “Industry rumors persist that overall bushels are down due to small sizing, but with good weather and harvest just getting ready to start, we expect some additional sizing yet to come, making it a good-size, promotable crop.    

First apples were to come in the week of Aug. 21 with organic and conventional Galas, and Belknap said the crop would “follow each successive week with additional varieties, including Honeycrisp by the week of Aug 28.” He said the company’s proprietary Lady Alice® variety will be harvested starting mid-to late September, with sales beginning Oct. 1. 

“We aren’t introducing any new varieties this year, but we will have volume increases on Lady Alice apples, which have continued to be a top performer, and we will have increases on premium varieties such as Jazz, Envy and Pacific Rose,” he said. “Each of these varieties has adequate volume for promotion, and category data points to clear opportunities to drive sales with promotions on these rising stars.”

Organics continue to gain in acreage each year, and Belknap said there are more certified Honeycrisp, Galas, Fujis and Granny Smiths this year.

“Washington State estimates that the total organic crop volume is up 20 percent across the state, continuing to reflect growing demand in this area. Rainier Fruit Co. offers a comprehensive organic program that includes all top performing varieties, as well as our Lady Alice variety. Our organic manifest spans nearly the entire year, with a gap of only a few weeks at the end of the season,” he said. 

 Promotions for the 2017 crop include continuation of the “Wholesome to the Core” message, and Belknap said it supports “healthy lifestyles that includes our sponsorship of the Boston Marathon and other active lifestyle events. As part of our Wholesome to the Core message, our people set the tone for our programs and messages, helping us to remain focused on sustainability, social responsibility and giving back. We plan to announce several additional initiatives in the coming months.” 

Belknap said technology continues to advance at Rainier Fruit Co., noting regular evaluations for “new additions that will improve our efficiencies and aid in our delivery of high-quality fruit.” In 2017, he said, “We have upgraded all of our size/defect sorters and now have full capability for internal quality sorting.”

In addition, Rainier has added packing capabilities for pouch bags on both organic and conventional lines.

“The new technology allows for the use of high-speed automation to pack pouch bags with less reliance on hand packing,” Belknap said. “It also allows us to meet demand for more bagged product while keeping costs in line by utilizing the right technology to maximize resources.”