Honeycrisp apples from Chile will be available at retailers nationwide in May, according to grower and importer Honeybear Brands, Elgin, Minn.
The imported fruit will provide retailers with an option to keep the variety strong and drive sales, according to a news release.
“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,” Don Roper, vice president of sales and marketing for Honeybear Brands, said in the release.
The Chilean imports also include organic Honeycrisp, which has been out of supply in the U.S. Organic apples have shorter holding period than conventional apples because the controlled atmosphere tools to keep apples in storage longer are not allowed on organic produce.
Roper said the company has been boosting production of off-season organic Honeycrisp.
“Over the next two years, our transition will be complete, and we will have more than half of our production organic” Roper said in the release.
This is the company’s largest Chilean Honeycrisp crop, with an expected 500,000 cases. The fruit is grown in the Araucania region of southern Chile, known for ideal growing conditions that give apples high color, firm texture and a juicy, crisp bite, according to the release.
The company has a dedicated supply chain model to serve Northern Hemisphere Markets efficiently, according to the release.
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