Elgin, Minn.-based Honeybear Brands expects the first shipments of its 2019 Chilean Honeycrisp apples to arrive on U.S. retailer shelves no later than April 15.
Exceptional growing conditions with the right balance of warm days, cooler nights and good rainfall have given the crop the classic traits of an ideal Honeycrisp: high color, firm texture and juicy, crisp bite, according to a news release.
Honeybear’s first Chilean Honeycrisp crop was planted in 2008 in the Araucania region of Southern Chile, and production has grown to more than 400,000 cases in 2019, according to the release. Honeybear also imports organic Honeycrisp, with supply doubling since 2018, as acreage transitions from conventional to organic production.
Also, Honeybear has upgraded standards and practices in supply chain management, according to the release.
Honeybear Brands and parent company Wescott Agri Products were granted exclusive production and commercialization rights for the Chilean Honeycrisp by the University of Minnesota, developer and owner of the original variety. The company was one of the first to grow Honeycrisp in Washington state and Chile.
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