Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers focuses on keeping customers supplied
Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers is focused on year-round supply for its partners, said Dan Davis, director of business development for the Wenatchee, Wash.-based marketer.
“Keeping our core (customers) supplied with what they need during this tight crop will be the highlight of our plans,” Davis said.
The effect of extreme heat last summer on storage apple supplies is not yet known.
“We all lived through the heat that was unlike anything we've ever seen and (we) have to listen to what our quality control teams and warehouse staff think will come our way,” Davis said. “We know for sure that we will need to augment our supply on organics with our import partners. The coordination of that this year on a variety-by-variety basis is one of our key focuses.”
With the shorter crop, shippers will need to be responsive, Davis said.
“Supply is the biggest change,” he said. “We just have less fruit this year and we expect packouts to suffer deeper into the season, compounding the issue.”
Organic apples account for 15% of Starr Ranch Growers’ overall apple volume, Davis said.
“The (organic) season has been fantastic so far, movement has been great and we’re ahead of our anticipated pace,” he said. “We're going to have to stretch to reach our import season with how fast we've been moving on many varieties.”
Davis said Starr Ranch Growers has enjoyed a “fantastic” season for Juici branded apples.
“Our volume continues to grow, and it continues to find homes and delight consumers,” he said.
“The apple has eaten really well this year and we'll run out of our supply far in advance of when we thought we would due to the brisk movement off the retail shelf.”
Cosmic Crisp will have good sales opportunities as the season continues and other varieties are in shorter supply. Industry challenges related to the Cosmic Crisp relate to consistency, he said.
“There are still concerns about consistency at retail and we've got to prove that is getting better,” he said.
Davis said Starr Ranch Growers has a healthy crop of Pink Lady apples that will have promotion opportunities.
“For the most part, later harvesting varieties are in more abundance than earlier harvesting varieties, so those will be our focus,” Davis said.
