Hudson River Fruit Distributors enjoys snappy start with SnapDragon apple sales

SnapDragon apple sales are off to a snappy start for Milton, N.Y.-based Hudson River Fruit Distributors.

“We were very surprised by the strong and early heavy demands on SnapDragon,” Alisha Albinder Camac, owner and operator of Hudson River Fruit Distributors. She said sales on SnapDragon this year were up 70% by Oct. 31 compared to last year.

“The top 10 customers of this variety were up 91% in volume and 97% in revenue,” she said. “We are excited to see this tremendous growth for this new apple.”

Hudson River Fruit Distributors specializes in the growth and distribution of more than 20 varieties of conventional apples. 

Due to the wet climate in the Northeast, it is currently not feasible to grow organic apples commercially due to the abundance of insects and pests, Albinder Camac said.

“To ensure that we are growing the healthiest crop, we integrate pest management solutions to protect the fruit without interrupting its natural growth ecosystem," she said.

Sizing up the season

The apple marketing season for Hudson River Fruit Distributors will be similar to last year, Albinder Camac said, with stronger holdings on galas, fuji, SnapDragon and EverCrisp. 

“We are continuing our Canadian Honeycrisp and New Zealand gala import program to extend our season on these two popular varieties,” she said.

Given the shorter U.S. fresh apple crop, Albinder Camac said retailers will be in a good position to promote new varieties.

“We’ve seen a lot of success with the SnapDragon, EverCrisp and RubyFrost as our customers have been adding them to their SKU list,” she said.

Relative to packaging trends, Albinder Camac said the supplier has seen more requests from customers for pouch bags rather than traditional poly 3-pound bags.