Fast Facts: The Cast video series is back with Roger Pepperl, Stemilt’s marketing director, and Senior Marketing Manager Brianna Shales, who broke down the latest apple category data from Nielsen. The data set that reviews the last 12 weeks of retail data ending Sept. 26 shows apples continue to be a hot produce item, and Stemilt advises retailers to carry a versatile product mix to elevate the category during peak apple months.

Washington state is expecting a smaller crop yield this year. Washington produces 65 percent of the fresh apples grown in the U.S., and as growers are reaching the midway point of harvest, they are observing an approximately 10 percent lighter crop load on the trees than the original estimate released in August.

Okanagan Specialty Fruits, developer and grower behind the innovative Arctic apple, has announced the launch of Arctic apple slices to the convenience store market.

Envy apples further secured their position as the leading sweet, premium apple, during the 2019-20 Washington season — evident by double-digit growth in sales, volume and velocity and strengthened retail partnerships — creating momentum for the New Zealand Envy crop available now.

Okanagan Specialty Fruits, the pioneering agricultural company behind the nonbrowning Arctic apple, honored Barbara Ortega, a security guard in California who has been working on the frontlines to protect produce and people during the COVID-19 pandemic. As the winner of the Arctic apples Mother’s Day giveaway, Ortega received a 12-month subscription to a monthly beauty box tailored to her preferences.

The U.S. Apple Association, joined by apple organizations across the nation, urged the Agriculture Department to reconsider growers for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program funding. According to the groups, USDA’s analysis that determined apple prices and grower eligibility is fatally flawed and does not match the reality of what is happening in the industry.