Three New Varieties Leading the Way for Belleharvest Marketing Plan

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Three new varieties leading the way for Belleharvest marketing plan

August 12, 2016

Topaz, EverCrisp and Smitten.

These three apple varieties hold a key place in the plans of Belleharvest Sales Inc. The apples not only have strong marketing names but attractive characteristics that should make them a marketing success, in the view of Chris Sandwick.

Sandwick, the vice president of sales and marketing for the Belding, MI, grower-packer-shipper, described Topaz as a “vibrantly acidic apple” that was originally bred in the Czech Republic. “It is a really, really niche acidic apple. It is hard not to have a reaction” when biting into Topaz. “You may not like it, but you will have a reaction. Those who like it really, really like it. It has a really nice Old Word orange-ish color with a yellow background. It is not the iconic looking apple. It has a unique appearance.” Its heritage can be traced to the Old World apples of the Czech Republic, although this is a relatively new variety that is now being grown in the United States. So far — in a very low volume — Belleharvest has produced Topaz for eight years. But those trial years have proven successful and next year’s planting will triple Topaz acreage for Belleharvest.

EverCrisp and Smitten are both trademarked varieties.

EverCrisp was bred by the Midwest Apple Improvement Association, based in Newcomerstown, OH. Sandwick described the EverCrisp as “a really, really crunchy, highly sweet, deep red and very pretty apple. It stores really well,” so Belleharvest is planning to ship it after the first of the coming year. According to information published by the Midwest Apple Improvement Association, EverCrisp was

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created in 1998 in a controlled cross between Honeycrisp and Fuji.

EverCrisp is a “managed release, so it is more inclusive in having a number of growers” involved in its production. Growers affiliated with Belleharvest planted EverCrisp two years ago, so this fall will bring the firm’s first commercial harvest. “We will have volume in 2018 and 2019.”

Smitten was developed in New Zealand in 2005 by breeder Prevar Ltd., located in Hastings, NZ. The variety is handled in North America by Pegasus Premiere Fruit Co. in Wenatchee, WA. “We are the Midwest partner” in producing Smitten, Sandwick said.

This year, Belleharvest is planting its first Smitten seedlings. This first fruit from young Smitten trees will be on the market in a couple of years.

Sandwick describes Smitten as “a very hard, sweet apple with a dynamite taste and a big crunch that stores very, very well. It is new to us but it already has some traction in the marketplace” because of existing production and marketing in Washington state.

Sandwick noted that in the broad view, “There is a lot of change in the apple industry. As we adapt, we have to recognize the time and capital investments to change. We have to change with an eye on sustainability. We can’t make wild guesses. We owe it to the growers to be as close to certain as we can” when asking them to produce new apple varieties.

In another development, Belleharvest this year is installing a new customized software system that will merge production, inventory, shipping and sales. “All of that data will be in one place. We expect to be quite a bit more efficient and this allows us to do much more of a deep dive into our business analysis.” Sandwick noted that the software will enable Belleharvest to provide growers with information to improve their profitability per acre and retail customers with data to increase profitability per square foot of their produce departments.