WENATCHEE, WA - The growers at CMI Orchards are gearing up for the new crop heading our way. Despite a late bloom, we shall be expecting a large selection of branded, core, and organic apples and pears all in one place from this excellent season.
“We set a lot of king blossoms this year,” explained Robb Myers, Vice President of Business Development, “and the best blooms always produce the best fruit. On top of that, the weather hasn’t been too hot, which means the trees are able to focus on growing the fruit rather than trying to survive any sort of inclement weather conditions.”
As Domestic Sales and Organic Manager Joel Hewitt commented, this perfect alignment of factors yields a promising outlook for the upcoming new crop. CMI understands the need for apples to be on the shelf year-round, and that’s exactly what its extremely knowledgeable growers are accomplishing.
“Sizing looks optimal, and the condition of the crop is shaping up nicely to have year-round availability for most of our varieties. All indications suggest we’ll see a stellar crop,” Hewitt noted. “Our growers are multi-generational orchardists carrying legacies that are ripe with expertise. They’re able to play matchmaker by planting popular, profitable managed varieties and the best-tasting core varieties in select microclimates and harvest altitudes, which allows them to bring the freshest, highest quality, most popular products to market.”
These experienced growers, added Hewitt, will drive this spectacular incoming crop. With harvest just beginning, Hewitt said that it’s incredibly important for retailers to capitalize on this quality crop to meet increasing consumer demand.
“Our forecast shows that we’re going to be up in everything: organic, core, and managed variety volume,” Hewitt said. “Shoppers will enjoy fruit with exceptional flavor and color this coming season,” he explains, “and retailers who start off the season prepared—with planning, promotions, and point-of-sale materials—will have an advantage.”
Scott McDougall of McDougall and Sons, an ownership arm of CMI, remains optimistic for a spectacular harvest.
“This is one of the nicest, cleanest apple crops I’ve ever seen at this point in the growing season, with minimal russeting and blemishes,” commented McDougall. “We’re hopeful for a great season ahead, pending any unforeseen circumstances.”
Keep a lookout for more updates from ANUK.
