ELGIN, MN - Honeybear Brands is not done rolling out premium apple varieties just yet. On the heels of the company’s debut of the First Kiss® MN 55 apple and two buzz generating, in-development, new varietals at PMA Fresh Summit, Honeybear Brands is also prepping the largest-ever offering of Pazazz. North American markets will welcome Pazazz on the shelves beginning as soon as December.

“We came out of a very busy PMA and just didn’t stop,” said Don Roper, Vice President, Sales and Marketing. “The show was about giving our buyers a sneak peek at some future star varietals we have in development, but it’s also now go time for Pazazz and we’re expecting really big things for our retailers this season. Hands down, across the board, the quality, color, and overall eating experience of Pazazz has never been better than what we’ve seen coming out of every one of our orchards.”

By January 2019, Honeybear expects Pazazz to be in more retail locations than ever before—more than 60 retail geographies across North America. Honeybear will also launch an integrated marketing campaign featuring digital consumer advertising and social media marketing that will incorporate top food influencers and select sponsored events.

According to a press release, Honeybear is also continuing work perfecting the two varieties debuted at Fresh Summit. They include:

• A red flesh apple with an attractive and surprising internal red blush; the red peel of the apple bleeds into the flesh around a red cream center
• A yellow apple with a unique, almost tropical flavor and an unexpected firm texture, which maintains many months after harvest

“Colored flesh is a growing trend, but this apple is making its way to the finish line and has enormous visual appeal for consumers and retailers, as well as an undeniable great flavor,” Roper noted of the first apple. “The other is going to be a star once it launches. We don’t see any other premium variety in the market today that looks or tastes the way this does. The bright yellow on deck adds a real pop of vibrant color, but the best part is that this apple can actually handle the rigors of retail, as it has such strong pressures and presence on the deck. All in all, it’s a far better eating apple than the Golden Delicious with a fantastic blend of tropical nutty flavors.”

In addition to Honeybear’s varietal work, the company also announced it will increase its organic apple production. The company said its goal is to fully transition approximately 25 percent of current growing acreage to organic production within the next three years with the help of growing partners. New organic production zones will include orchards in Washington, New York, Nova Scotia, and Chile.

“Every Honeybear variety is grown with a great deal of care organic or otherwise,” said Roper. “We’re already dedicated to sustainable growing, protection of natural habitats for orchard wildlife, as well as best-in-class environmental stewardship of the land, but there’s a growing demand from consumers for organics—so we’re not going to ignore that.”

With 2018 almost in the books, Honeybear Brands looks to have an exciting 2019 in store for us, too. Stay tuned for the latest in the coming months.

Honeybear Brands