BelleHarvest is working with growing new varieties including Smitten, an apple originally from New Zealand but is expanding to include a partnership of growers in the United States. “This is the first year of significant domestic production and early indications are that consumers really love the apple,” says Sandwick.
Read MoreBelleHarvest Sales Inc., Belding, Mich., is offering a couple of new, “exceptionally great-eating apples” this season, said Chris Sandwick, vice president of sales and marketing.
One is the proprietary Smitten variety that also is available from Wenatchee, Wash.-based Pegasus Premier Fruit Co.
Read MoreSecuring shelf space in the produce department can be a challenge, especially at certain times of the year, Michigan apple grower-shippers say.
And persuading a retailer to stock a new variety can be like pulling teeth.
Read MoreFor Belleharvest Sales Inc., Smitten, a club apple variety, will be available on a commercial-volume basis for the first time this year, according Christopher Sandwick, the firm’s vice president of sales and marketing. Sandwick said there are “a number of orchards around the country” producing Smitten. But Belleharvest growers have exclusive rights to produce the new variety the Midwest. Belleharvest will represent the variety “in the Midwest and middle part of the country with our retail partners.”
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