ELGIN, MN - For me, there’s nothing like crunching down on a juicy apple in sunny spring weather. Consumers who flock to the Honeycrisp variety know the feeling, and will soon be chomping on their favorite apple in no time as a fresh-picked Honeycrisp crop is becoming available to retailers nationwide. Honeybear Brands, a leading Honeycrisp importer from the southern hemisphere, announced the first shipments of its 2020 Chilean Honeycrisps are leaving orchards. This availability will provide an ideal option for retailers as the apple has a strong shelf life and will quickly sell in the produce aisle.

“Predictably, domestic Honeycrisps begin losing flavor this time of year and consumers start turning to other snacking options,” said Don Roper, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We invested heavily in our Chilean orchards more than two decades ago, and we’ve been at work ever since growing and fine-tuning quality so we can bring our nationwide retail partners something they can’t find anywhere else at this time of year.”

Consumers who are partial to organic varieties have waited even longer for organic Honeycrisps, as these apples have a shorter holding period than conventional. According to a press release, this is because the same climate-controlled tools and methods are not available for organics, shortening the lifespan of the crop.

“Several years ago, we saw the need for increased fresh organic Honeycrisp during the 'off season' and started transitioning much of our southern hemisphere orchards. Over the next two years, our transition will be complete, and we will have more than half of our production organic,” continued Roper.

Honeybear’s 2020 crop is both the largest production volume and the highest quality fruit to ever come out of the company’s southern hemisphere orchards, with an expected 500,000 cases. Three key factors contributed to this boost:

First, the fruit is grown in the Araucania region of Southern Chile, which is known for its exceptional growing conditions with just the right balance of warm days, cooler nights, and perfect rainfall giving the crop the classic traits of the perfect Honeycrisp: high color, firm texture, and a juicy, crisp bite. Second, Honeybear’s team maintains precise work in growing, picking, and packing premium quality apples. Third, the company has a dedicated supply chain model for moving the best-conditioned Honeycrisp crop to key global Northern hemisphere markets in the most efficient manner.

As crops continue to become available this spring, stick around for the latest reports from AndNowUKnow.

Honybear Brands