Lancaster, PA— Hess Brothers Fruit Company, Lancaster, PA, announces a new partnership with Rainier Fruit Company, Selah, WA, to expand their Wild Twist™ apple program.
Successful Launch
After several successful years of sales trials, Hess Brothers is excited to debut Wild Twist™ to a bigger audience with the help of Rainier Fruit.
“Our customers have been excited to get this apple on the shelf,” said Andy Figart, President of Hess Bros, “It’s a phenomenal eating experience and can reinvigorate the apple category from late winter through the summer months, when sales are traditionally slow.”
Program Expansion
Hess Bros. recognized the potential for this apple to be successful very early on, and found a like-minded partner in Rainier Fruit Company of Selah, WA. A cross between HoneyCrisp and Cripps Pink, Wild Twist™ delivers an explosive crunch with intricate flavor that has consumers wanting more.
Andy Tudor, VP of Business Development for Rainier Fruit remarked, “We are always looking for the next big thing, especially in a very crowded field and we believe that Wild Twist™ apples are a true game-changer for the category.” Tudor continued, “These apples offer superior eating with a popular pedigree to match and consumers will immediately recognize its varietal parents as an incredible starting point for a great apple.”
The new partnership between Hess Bros. and Rainier Fruit will produce a “phase one” volume that is 50% produced in the Eastern U.S. and 50% in the Western U.S. “This great apple deserves our best effort in a crowded time for the apple category,” says Figart, “We want to make working with Wild Twist™ as easy as possible for our retail partners. Having production on both coasts will allow for national and regional customers to take advantage of freight efficiencies, as well as maximizing existing relationships.”
Wild Twist™ apples are available now through June. Both Hess Bros. (Booth #629) and Rainier (Booth #111) will be exhibiting Wild Twist™ at the Southern Exposure Conference in Tampa, FL, Feb 27-29. www.wildtwistapples.com
