Honeybear Brands expands Midwest apple footprint
The Elite Apple Co. will be joining forces with Honeybear Brands to market its apple varieties.
Elite Apple Co. is a privately held, grower-owned production facility in Sparta, Mich., that oversees the production, packing and distribution of over 1 million bushels of premium apple varieties, according to the release.
“We have chosen to partner with Honeybear Brands because of their success with marketing high-quality, premium apples from the best growing regions in the U.S.,” the company said in a statement. “We look forward to working with Honeybear Brands to create hand-crafted, custom marketing programs, which help drive sales and develop the buyer/supplier relationship.”
The two groups “fit seamlessly together," Don Roper, vice president of Honeybear Brands, said in the release.
“On the horticultural front, the Elite Apple Company is investing in their orchard practices to produce fruit from the most impressive orchards in the Midwest today,” Roper said in the release. “From a facility standpoint, they are heavily invested in modern technology to simultaneously provide high quality and large volumes of premium packed fruit, with the ability to scale. Their team is a natural match for our expanding Midwest and national distribution programs.”
Elite Apple Co. increases Honeybear Brands' current supply of Midwestern regional varieties, Roper said in the release. That gives retailers a differentiated advantage of locally grown Midwest apples in addition to Honeybear Brands' Washington production as well as imported apples from the Southern Hemisphere, according to the release.
