Posts Tagged “apple imports”
Elgin, MN – Honeybear Brands, a leading grower and marketer of premium conventional and organic apples, pears and cherries, is delivering a fresh-picked crop of apples and pears to retailers nationwide beginning in March thanks to its Chilean operations.
Honeybear Brands is the leading apple importer from the Southern hemisphere, ensuring retailers have premium conditioned fresh fruit to offer shoppers during the spring and summer months.
“Incorporating imports in the fresh fruit mix is a smart long-term strategy as many domestic apples begin losing flavor and that crisp eating experience after months in storage,” says Don Roper, vice president sales and marketing, Honeybear Brands. “With near perfect weather in Southern Chile, Honeycrisp fruit sizing and quality this year should be terrific.”
Honeybear’s Chilean Honeycrisp crop started harvest in early March and will begin to arrive by April into its East Coast facilities. In addition to Honeycrisp, organic and conventional Gala, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Fuji, Pazazz, and pears will be available. With operations on both coasts, Honeybear maintains its leadership position in providing retailers with premium fruit, executing 100% supply assurance and ensuring lowest landed cost apple and pear programs.
With its broad array of orchards in Washington and the Midwest plus its import production in South America, Honeybear Brands provides a turnkey apple and pear program for retailers all year round.
About Honeybear Brands
Honeybear is family owned a leading grower and developer of premium apple varieties and has been in operation for more than 40 years.
As a leading vertically integrated, dual hemisphere grower, packer, shipper, Honeybear offers supply of premium apples and pears on a year-round basis. Honeybear Brands is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wescott Agri Products. For more information about Honeybear, visit www.honeybearbrands.com and follow on Facebook.
Exports of American apples topped $1 billion in 2018, 4 percent greater than in 2017. This is 5 times the value of U.S. apple imports. Meanwhile, there has been a huge increase in strawberry imports.
Total U.S. apple exports by value equaled $1.01 billion in 2019, an increase of 4 percent from $969 million in 2017 and 10 percent higher than $920 million in 2016, according to the USDA.
Mexico was the top export market for U.S. apples, taking 28 percent of U.S. apple exports by value. Canada and India were nearly tied for second place among export markets, each accounting for about 16 percent of total apple exports by value.
U.S. imports of apples totaled $198 million in 2018, off 15 percent from $233 million in 2017 and down 26 percent from $268 million in 2016. Chile was the top supplier of imported apples in 2018, supplying 44 percent of the total apple import value. After Chile, other top global suppliers to the U.S. were New Zealand, Canada, and Argentina.
Strawberry Imports
American imports of strawberries have soared over the past 5 years, according to trade statistics.
USDA stats show imports of fresh/frozen strawberries have climbed from $449 million in 2013 to $762 million in 2018.
That is an increase of about 70 percent over those 5 years. Trade numbers from 2018 show peak strawberry imports were recorded in February, followed in rank by March, January, and December.
In 2018, Mexico accounted for 93 percent of total U.S. strawberry imports, followed by Chile with 3 percent and 1 percent from Canada. That was similar to 2013 when Mexico represented 95 percent of U.S. strawberry imports.
Meanwhile, USDA trade data reveals U.S. fresh strawberry exports in 2018 totaled $379 million, up 1 percent from 2017.
Washington and Oregon pear shipments will be down only slightly when the new season arrives….Meanwhile Imported New Zealand apples are arriving at American ports.
2017 pear shipments from Washington and Oregon should total 17.6 million boxes, 2 percent less than in 2016 and 10 percent less than the five-year average, according to the first industry estimate for the season.
The forecast was compiled at the June 1 annual Pear Bureau Northwest meeting.
“Growers are reporting an excellent quality of pear crop on the trees, albeit a bit shorter crop than last season,” Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of Pear Bureau Northwest, said in a news release. “At nearly 18 million boxes, we expect a high-quality crop in promotable numbers.”
Starkrimson pears are expected in early August with bartlett harvest expected in late August. Meanwhile, anjou, bosc and comice will be harvested from September through early October.
Concorde, forelle, and seckel will be picked in September and October.
By variety, the industry estimates are:
- 8.9 million boxes of green anjous, about 51 percent of total Northwest fresh pear crop and up 7 percent from 2016;
- 4.4 million boxes of bartletts (25 percent of the total crop), down 4 percent from 2016 and 2 percent off the five-year average;
- 2.2 million boxes of boscs (13 percent of the total crop).
- 1.1 million boxes of red anjous (6 percent of the crop), 10 percent higher than 2016.
The organic pear estimate for 2017 is pegged at 1.12 million standard boxes, which is 6.4 percent of the total Northwest crop. That’s 5.5 percent lower than a year ago but 10.5 percent above the five-year average.
The organic green anjou crop is estimated at 470,000 boxes, with organic bartletts at 377,800 boxes and organic bosc at 123,200 boxes.
Yakima Valley apples and pears – grossing about $5000 to Philly.
New Zealand Apple Imports
New Zealand’s apple season is well underway, and high-quality fruit is arriving at U.S. ports. The 22 million carton crop is now estimated at 19.5 million. Some of the major importers in North American are Oppenheimer, Vancouver, BC; and Giumarra Fruit Co. Inc., Los Angeles.