The popularity of organic apples has increased such that demand for the fruit has outpaced supplies. In the state with the largest production of both conventional and organic apples, Washington's growers are increasing organic production to meet this increased demand.
“Demand for organic apples certainly exceeds supplies,” said Tim Evans of Chelan Fresh Marketing. “We were more in balance last year when we had a larger crop, but the crop is a little down this fall and demand for organics has really ramped up in the last few years.” He pointed to changing attitudes about food as one of the drivers behind the growth. Consumers are more conscious of what goes into growing their food, and they are increasingly willing to pay the higher prices that organic fruit commands. Growers are responding with more organic acreage.
“We have several hundred acres that we're transitioning over to organic production,” said Evans. “We want to get our organic production to a level that matches consumer demand.” Across the state, many growers are picking up on the trend and increasing organic production.
“Our organic program is getting bigger by the moment, and it's our largest area of growth,” said John Onstad of Sage Fruit. “I don't really see demand for organic apples slowing down. The only limiting factor here is what can be produced.” He added that, because buyers of organic fruit are also discerning when it comes to fruit varieties, the most popular organic varieties are those that differentiate themselves in the market, like Fujis, Galas and Honeycrisps.
Apples good entry into organic market
Because apples are a staple in retail stores, they are a good entry point for consumers interested in organic fruit. Their ubiquity in the produce aisle is another factor when it comes to the growth of the organic apple category.
“An apple is one of the primary fruits, so it's a good entry point into organic for a lot of folk,” said Addie Pobst of Viva Tierra Organic. Because apples are familiar to most everyone, it's likely one of the first organic produce items a retailer will carry will be the organic apple.
“I can't imagine going into a retail store in the United States and them not having apples,” said Pobst. “And if a store sells any organic fruit, it will have organic apples.” In addition to increasing acreage, growers and marketers have also come up with new ways to market organic fruit. Organic apples are still sold in bulk at most retail locations, but bags of fruit are becoming more commonplace, and those bags are good for organic fruit in particular.
“The rise of the three-pound and two-pound bag really taps into the consumer's mentality and informs him that this is a value product,” said Pobst. “Retailers also like them because there's less risk of an organic apple getting rung up as conventional fruit, so the bags have become a larger part of the business in the last 10 years.”
