Washington’s apple production dips in 2021
Honey Crisp were most popular variety in the country in past year
WENATCHEE — After initial optimism this year’s Washington apple harvest could exceed last year’s crop, current estimates suggest a dip in production.
Tim Kovis, spokesman for the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, said as of Dec. 1 the association estimated the 2021 crop produced 119.97 million 40-pound boxes. The numbers could still change, depending on figures during the selling season, Kovis said.
This figure is a drop from the 124.8 million boxes the association estimated in April.
It’s also a 2 percent decrease from the 122.5 million boxes produced last season. Kovis said the weather could be responsible.
“Heat effects on early varieties may cause them to pack out at a lower rate after storage, but movement has also been strong enough that this may not be a factor as this fruit is being packed and sold earlier in the season to meet demand,” he said.
Kovis said growers reported smaller Honeycrisp, Gala and Red Delicious harvests than they expected.
“The organic crop is still projected to be over 15 million boxes,” Kovis said. “In spite of the smaller harvest, we are seeing high-quality fruit and consumers can expect delicious Washington apples throughout 2022.”
Honeycrisp apples, 12.54 percent of the state’s crop this season, were the most popular apple variety in the country over the past year, according to CMI Orchards.
CMI compiled information from Nielsen Answers, which looks at domestic sales at supermarkets across the country, though not all stores report data to Nielsen. The timeframe is based on a 52-week period which ended Nov. 27.
Sales of Honeycrisp apples grew by 8 percent over the previous period.
According to Kovis, the breakdown of this year’s harvested crop was:
l Gala: 20.29 percent
l Granny Smith: 15.20 percent
l Red Delicious: 15.11 percent
l Fuji: 13.09 percent
l Honeycrisp: 12.54 percent
l Cripps Pink: 6.72 percent
l Golden Delicious: 3.79 percent
l Cosmic Crisp apples, created in Washington State University’s tree fruit breeding program in Wenatchee in 1997, saw a 250 percent increase in sales during the period. The highly anticipated variety of apples first hit store shelves in 2019.
Rochelle Bohm, CMI’s brand manager, said branded apples like Cosmic Crisp provide shoppers with something different.
“Typically, shoppers like to see new and exciting things on the shelves,” Bohm said. “A lot of times, branded apples have a different kind of flavor profile. A more, sort of, marketable flavor profile.”
Envy Apples were the most popular branded apple during the 52-week period, according to CMI. The variety saw a 21 percent increase in sales.
“There is a lot of room for some new and exciting varieties,” Bohm said. “Like every other item in the grocery store these days, we’ve seen pricing go up. Shoppers are definitely willing to pay more for quality. And we’re seeing that branded apples continue to carve out this niche in the produce category.”
