This is a final research report from Hort Innovation’s historical archives. Please note that as these reports may date back as far as the 1990s, the content and recommendations within them may be superseded by more recent research.

What was it all about?

The Australian apple industry was enduring it most difficult time in history when this project was undertaken. Returns to growers were at record lows. Consumption was at a very low 5.6 apples per week or 291 apples per year. These are purchased by the main grocery buyer who buys 91 per cent of the apples (Source HAL BDRC Jones Donald Study 2011).

The trip to New Zealand in March 2013 was a great success. The timing of the trip was to coincide with the harvest of Smitten. While the focus and purpose of the trip was to view SMITTEN® the tour also provided the group with an insight to a number of new varieties available to growers in Australia. These new varieties aim to provide consumers with a better eating experience or something compelling, unique and engaging such as unique skin or flesh colour or unique flavour, in the hope that the industry can increase apple consumption.

To ensure that assessment of the varieties observed was considered by all areas of apple growing, post harvest care and handling, packing and marketing was considered, the tour included growers from a number of growing regions including Stanthorpe, Gippsland, Yarra Valley and Goulburn Valley and representatives from all the areas of the production and marketing process including post-harvest quality control, packing, marketing and proprietary management.

It was expected that the tour would result in the development of variety assessment profiles for each variety, business plans for each variety that growers showed interest in growing commercially in Australia and tree orders from growers.