ELGIN, MN - Honeybear Brands is bringing a new variety, First Kiss, to market, which will be sold commercially in the Midwest—with a limited supply debuting exclusively at Twin Cities Lunds & Byerly’s stores beginning Labor Day weekend.
“For consumers, we think this new variety may even be as memorable as their first kiss,” said Don Roper, Vice President Sales and Marketing. “We’re looking forward to seeing their reactions. We are also excited to do what we do best: take a fledgling new variety with massive potential and, over time, turn it into a star brand and top performer for our retail partners. We’ve been doing that since the introduction of Honeycrisp and more recently our own, in-house developed variety, Pazazz, which this year grew 300 percent at retail.”
According to a press release, First Kiss is a scarlet-colored apple descended from the Honeycrisp, with a tart flavor profile that delivers on taste and is harvested early in the season. Developed by the University of Minnesota, First Kiss will be grown by Honeybear Brands growers throughout Minnesota, a network of second- and third-generation family farms.
“We’re in the business of bringing our retailers one critical thing,” added Roper. “That’s innovative, exciting apple varieties that will engage customers in their stores and build deep loyalty in a very competitive apple field. We know First Kiss is going to be a major player in this regard going forward.”
Although the initial public availability of First Kiss apples will be limited this year, Honeybear Brands noted that it will bring its full product development capabilities to bear in order to grow the variety into another retail success. Strict growing protocols across Honeybear’s network of family farms help guarantee premium quality, taste, and texture for all fruit, as well as focus on issues like sustainable growing and localized production for retailers wherever possible.
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