MOUNT VERNON, WA - There is a coming window that should be the apple of retail’s eye. This is what Chris Ford, Business Development and Marketing Manager at Viva Tierra Organic, imparts to me fresh from his trip to New Zealand.
“We are incredibly excited about the high-quality organic fruit New Zealand grows. The selling window is from June through September, which is a perfect time to have a new crop fruit in the market, just before Washington starts its season back up again,” Chris said, adding that this crop is more significant than most after the incredible challenges the region has faced the past few years. “It wasn’t until I visited with the owners of Bayleaf Organics myself that I realized the magnitude of what the area suffered not just last year from Cyclone Gabrielle, but in its having followed a still-recovering post-COVID era.”
The perseverance is in the toiled soil and cared-for trees of the company’s four orchards, family-owned and operated in the region’s Hawke’s Bay.
“Coming through such an ordeal, there is nothing but hope and premium, amazing organic fruit. It is such a pleasure to work with Owners Craig and Wendy Dowling. Viva Tierra pioneered organic imports into North America 30 years ago, and we look forward to continuing to grow in partnership by promoting incredible product, supporting local family farmers and their communities,” Chris shared.
New Zealand apples destined for the U.S. get in at 70s to 110s in sizing. While the category itself is always in season, these, he tells me, are an especially high-quality summer offering.
Bayleaf Organics offers several tasty varieties, including Cripps Pink, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Royal Gala, grown with natural practices and no chemical fertilizers or sprays and working in harmony with nature. The result, the company celebrates on its website, is great-tasting quality apples; tree-ripened, pure, and honest.
“Bayleaf is one of the last organic apple growers in the region, maintaining an important foothold in terms of access to such amazing fruit. The majority of our import and distribution will be through the East Coast, with organic Fuji coming to the West Coast later in the season,” Chris explained. When discussing the cost that comes with such a prize, he is clear and concise. “There’s always room for high quality in the market, including the pricing that comes with it.”
His sage experience not just with Viva Tierra, but navigating over 15 years on the supply-side and 30 years in the organic trade with some of the most premium-associated brands, as well as more than six years with Whole Foods Market, bolsters the truth in his statement.
As this exciting window approaches, I will patiently await the West Coast’s turn at a bite of this promising fruit experience.
