Howell Fruit Advantage of Prosser has developed two varieties of red-fleshed apples. (Courtesy photo)
PROSSER, Wash. — Backers of an apple-breeding program called Hidden Surprise hope to attract consumer interest with a surprise when they bite into their fruit: the internal flesh is a shade of red.
Red-fleshed apples have been the subject of breeder interest for years, and some apples with red flesh are available in Europe. Two varieties developed by a Prosser firm could bring red-fleshed apples to North America,
At least that’s the hope of a Yakima company involved in development of the varieties. Proprietary Variety Management, created last year to shepherd new varieties through all stages of development, has issued exclusive licenses to two major Washington state fruit warehouse companies to grow and market the red-fleshed apple varieties: Stemilt Growers of Wenatchee and Chelan Fresh Marketing of Chelan.
Stemilt is the largest fresh market shipper of cherries in the state and also markets apples and pears. Chelan Fresh Marketing also markets apples, cherries and pears.
The red-flesh varieties were developed by Howell Fruit Advantage of Prosser.
The red-flesh color likely came from an original parent, the lowly and very tart crab apple. The crab apple has a gene that imparts the red pigmentation to the internal flesh. Generations of crosses by breeders have sought to marry the red pigment attributes with sweetness from other varieties.
Lynnell Brandt, president of Proprietary Variety Management, said interest in red-fleshed apples has been increasing domestically and elsewhere in the world.
“There are other red-fleshed apples in other breeding programs,” he said. “None of them have been commercialized as yet. The challenge has always been to have red flesh material that was kind to the palate. These two eat extremely well with complex flavors.”
The agreements with Stemilt and Chelan Fresh Marketing are an example of a decadelong trend toward “managed varieties” in which the development and commercialization of new apples are limited to a certain number of growers and packers. The theory behind the concept is better control of quality and volume of fruit reaching the market. The goal is to boost returns.
Growers licensed to grow the varieties pay fees either on a per-tree basis or per acre as well as a marketing fee. Des O’Rourke, a retired Washington State University agricultural economist who analyzes the global apple market as president of Belrose Inc. of Pullman, said growers need to receive a premium price to cover the additional costs that range from $3 to $5 per box.
The other primary model for commercializing new varieties is the open concept, one in which any grower can purchase trees and produce the fruit.
“You can go with an open source product and do well if it suits your area and you don’t pay fees,” O’Rourke said, “or you can go with one of these new hot club varieties but you have to pay fees. It may or may not work. No one in my knowledge has a good track record forecasting which of these new varieties will be successful.”
But he added that those with the money to invest need to be looking ahead to new varieties to differentiate themselves from competitors, provide better returns, and spark consumer interest.
A number of managed varieties have reached the market over the past several years with names like Opal, Sweetie, Pinata, Ambrosia and Pacific Rose. These varieties have a blush exterior surface and white flesh.
But a red-fleshed apple would be a dramatic shift. Commercial production and general consumer reaction to such an apple is still several years away.
One key trait to the two varieties — one with red external color and the other with yellow skin — is that the level of antioxidants in the flesh retards browning, making the apples more attractive in food service markets.
Roger Pepperl, marketing director for Stemilt, the largest tree fruit company in Washington state, said development is still in its early stages.
“We are always interested in new things. We try to look at things that have potential in the marketplace,” he said. “The licensing agreement lets us have access into testing. That is our motivation at this point.”
Stemilt and Chelan will grow test blocks of the varieties grown by Brandt’s Fruit Trees Inc., an affiliate of Proprietary Variety Management. Lynnell Brandt is also president of Brandt’s Fruit Trees.
The Hidden Surprise plan also covers naming of the varieties, trademark development as well as future marketing and promotion activities.
Brandt said the varieties are in the process of being patented.
Brandt said the evolution of the industry and the marketplace is creating a need to have more than just a breeder and nursery involved in development. Marketers, major retailers and growers also need to play a role, he said.
“I believe there is a need for this type of entity to help ensure that a product is able to seek what it is capable of from a marketing standpoint,” he said. “We now find a need to talk to different entities that aren’t growers. There is a need to put a number of things on the table to reach that potential.”
Research and development of red-fleshed apples is occurring elsewhere in the country. According to articles in the trade press, a Minnesota-based group, The Next Big Thing Cooperative, a group of more than 60 North American apple growers, is overseeing the planting of 10 to 15 red-flesh varieties. The cooperative already has brought the popular SweeTango apple to the market, beginning in 2009.
SweeTango, for which Stemilt has rights to grow and market the variety in the Western United States, is considered the successor to the highly popular and high-priced Honeycrisp. SweeTango is an offspring of a cross between Honeycrisp and Zestar and was developed by the University of Minnesota.
A telephone call to the cooperative president was not returned.
O’Rourke said bringing new varieties to market under a managed program can be difficult. Promotion and marketing can be a challenge if only one or two marketers have the apple,
“One packer-marketer may not have enough volume to meet demand,” he said.
Consumer reaction to apples with red flesh will go a long way toward determining if they will excel in the marketplace.
“Is a red-fleshed apple really appealing?” I don’t know,” O’Rourke said.
For Stemilt,the next step is to get some trees in the ground and see how the varieties perform and how they are received, Pepperl said.
“No one in the marketplace has experienced it yet,” he said. “It will be part of the learning process.”
