WOLCOTT, NY - New York Apple Growers (NYAG) is no more. On paper that is.
Newly-named Crunch Time Apple Growers, the 145 grower member organization stated in a press release that the success of its recent SnapDragon® and RubyFrost® apple varieties launch has necessitated a name change to stand apart with its exclusive apple varieties.
“The success and interest of these new apples has gotten a lot of attention and retailers were confusing us with other similarly named organizations such as New York Apple Sales and New York Apple Association, so we felt it was time to make a change,” Mark Russell, Marketing Committee Chair, said in the release. “We wanted the name to reflect our forward-thinking organization that will continue to bring premium apple varieties to market. In addition, we are now in the process of developing a trade brand presence for the new organizational name as well.”
The organization aligned itself with the Cornell apple breeding program in 2010 to develop a managed release and establish an exclusive licensing agreement in North America for both SnapDragon and RubyFrost. The varieties, according to the organization, are a decade in the making and Cornell’s first to go to market.
The company stated that growers pay royalties on trees purchased, acreage planted and fruit produced, and the income is being used to help support Cornell’s apple breeding program.
Currently, the SnapDragon apple variety is set to launch in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast Regions this coming October, while the RubyFrost variety is slated to return to stores in January of 2016.
