Rainier to Move Promotable Crop Into National Pipeline

- Advertisement -

Rainier to move promotable crop into national pipeline

September 3, 2012

Suzanne Wolter, director of marketing for Rainier Fruit Co. in Yakima, WA, said apple producers continue to assess the condition of their crops in the aftermath of recent storms in Washington.

“The state has experienced several storms throughout the growing season, the worst of which came through a few weeks ago and has generated the most press,” she told The Produce News on Aug. 15. “Hail damage varies depending on the size of hail and severity of wind that accompanied each storm. Fruit in some areas has been damaged to the point it won’t be harvested, and some areas will be harvested and go directly to processor market. Some fruit is worth harvesting and packing. It’s going to be several weeks, if not months, before we put a number on amount of damage.”

Outside of the storm-damaged areas, Ms. Wolter said quality looks to be excellent. “The fruit is clean, and overall condition is very nice,” she stated.

Rainier carries all the major apple varieties grown in Washington. “Rainier Fruit is the largest grower of Honeycrisp in the country which continues to exceed sales expectations,” Ms. Wolter commented. “Although the industry continues to produce more, we have not yet reached a supply/demand equilibrium, and pricing has remained high compared to other varieties both on the f.o.b. and retail fronts. Consumers appear willing to pay for a high-quality, flavorful eating experience. In my opinion, demand is high for new exciting varieties and excellent quality. Rainier Fruit goes to great lengths to make sure the consumer expectation is exceeded.”

The company also has three exciting up-and-coming varieties on its manifest. “We’re entering our third season marketing Jazz whose volume continues to grow,” Ms. Wolter stated. “We’ve had great success building consumer awareness for Jazz in partnership with our retail base.” Rainier debuted

1 / 2

the Junami variety last January to overwhelming consumer and retail response.

“Rainier Fruit has North American exclusivity on Junami, a variety also sold in Europe,” she went on to say. “It was developed in Sweden and is a cross between Maigold, IdaRed and Elstar. It’s memorable flavor and juiciness makes it a thrill to market, and we anticipate excellent demand when we go to market this coming January with slightly more volume than last year.”

Finally, the Lady Alice apple is entering its fifth season of national distribution. “It, too, has developed a great following, selling out in just 10 weeks between February and April,” Ms. Wolter continued. “Lady Alice’s subtly sweet with just a hint of tartness flavor, firm dense cell structure and slow-to- brown characteristics make it the perfect all-purpose apple with a fan base ranging from retail to foodservice.”

Rainier began its harvest in mid-August with the Ginger Gold. “We start Galas this week and will go into Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp and Fuji early September. Harvest will continue into November, finishing up with Pink Lady and Fuji. Once we hit mid-September, harvest is running strong, and by early October we’ll have a full line-up of varieties.”

Approximately 20 percent of the company’s crop is organic, and Ms. Wolter said growth continues to focus on the more popular varieties such as Honeycrisp, Gala, Pink Lady and Fuji. “We also have organic supplies of our Lady Alice variety which will again be available in mid- February,” she added.

The company retooled its organic packaging, initially launched in June, with a goal of clearly identifying organic product for consumers. “We’ll have new apple and pear organic bags and display cartons launching in October,” Ms. Wolter stated. “We’ll be showcasing them in October at PMA’s Fresh Summit.”

Rainier Fruit Co. broke ground on a new packingline last fall. Their Max Line is a completely new vision of the perfect apple packing process. “Rainier Fruit has married decades of fruit packing experience with brand new ideas to combine the best features of Commit-to-Pack and Presize,” Ms. Wolter said. The completion date is targeted for October.

Rainier will participate in the Fuel Up to Play 60 program in 2013. “Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutritional and physical activity program launched by the National Dairy Council and the National Football League, with additional partnership from the U.S. Department of Agriculture,” Ms. Wolter commented. “The program encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods and achieve 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Our packaging and POS material will link together with the information children are seeing in schools and assist with the retail-to-school connection.”