Elgin, Minn. – This year’s domestic apple crop experienced a challenging growing season including early frost, summer drought, and excessive heat during harvest, putting a strain on both quality and total production. Domestic supply issues combined with unprecedented freight challenges has resulted in spiking prices for nearly all produce commodities. The Southern Hemisphere apple and pear crop will offer retailers relief in their supply chain. Honeybear, the leading importer of apples from the Southern Hemisphere, has key varieties arriving on both coasts, providing retailers with promotable volumes and the freshest flavor apples consumers expect.
Honeycrisp’s availability has been significantly affected by lower production this year. The Honeybear import crop will provide summer supply assurance and allow retailers to drive category sales with strong promotable volumes of Honeycrisp along with other key apple and pear category varieties. The Honeycrisp import crop will be available late April, while other conventional and organic varieties of apples and pears are already arriving at U.S. ports.
“We invested heavily in our dual-hemisphere supply chain program more than two decades ago and it has proven to be a real point of differentiation for our retail partners,” says Don Roper, vice president sales and marketing, Honeybear Brands. “With our Chilean growing partner Frusan, we have, in our opinion, the largest and best Honeycrisp production in the Southern Hemisphere. Honeybear provides large scale year-round supply of both conventional and organic Honeycrisp with the same premium quality retailers have come to expect,” continues Roper.
“By utilizing our production and distribution facilities on both coasts, we partner with our retailers to deliver the lowest landed cost programs to help drive top line sales. Our import supply will be 40 percent higher by volume this year and we will import apples on both coasts allowing for more supply chain flexibility,” says Roper.
The Honeybear Chilean crop is widely known to provide the freshest crop with a uniquely flavorful eating experience. The exceptional growing conditions with just the right balance of warm days, cooler nights and perfect rainfall are key to flavorful apples. In addition, the precision work of the company’s team on the ground in growing, picking, and packing premium quality apples is second to none. This year, Honeybear’s signature apple, Pazazz, will be refreshing supply from the Southern Hemisphere in June. The import program will continue to grow along with consumer demand of the unique apple with a consistently fresh experience consumers depend on.
About Honeybear Brands
Honeybear is a leading grower and developer of premium apple varieties. Family owned and operated for more than forty years, Honeybear still employs the same hands-on, personal attention to each and every apple variety produced while holding to responsible sustainability practices. As a leading vertically integrated, dual hemisphere grower, packer, shipper, Honeybear offers supply of premium apples and pears on a year-round basis. Honeybear Brands is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wescott Agri Products. For more information about Honeybear, visit www.honeybearbrands.com and follow us on Facebook.
Honeybear® is a trademark of Wescott Agri Products.
