Locally Grown New York Apples: A Farm Tour

Registered Dietitian Emily Kyle spends a day on a tour of Lamont Fruit Farm in Waterport, NY with New York Apple Sales Vice President of Marketing, Jim Allen, to see the apple trees in bloom.



Heritage: New York Apple Sales pushing forward with a strong team and partnerships

Fish Creek Orchards Arial

Numerous idioms attest to the popularity of the apple throughout history. And although the apple market has faced challenges in the past century, its longevity makes it truly the apple of the American consumer’s eye.

In New York state, New York Apple Sales is an integral part of the history of apple production. The Glenmont, NY-based company has taken some twists and turns in ownership and corporate structure since its start in 1919, but apples have always been at its core.


NYAS teams up with retailer to help in the wake of Hurricane Harvey

The produce industry has a long-standing reputation for reaching out to people in need during times of natural or manmade disasters.

In the case of Glenmont, NY-based New York Apple Sales, the approximate 1,800-miles between upstate New York and Houston, TX, was not about to stop the company from offering its aid in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

On Aug. 29, Jim Allen, vice president of marketing for the leading Northeast apple grower and shipper, told The Produce News that the NYAS team wanted to do something for all the people who were affected by the storm and the catastrophic flooding that resulted in and around Houston.


New Coast to Coast Growers Cooperative Announces First Seasonal U.S. Shipment of KORU® New Zealand Apples; Tim Byrne Comments

UNITED STATES – Coast to Coast Growers Cooperative has announced that container shipments of New Zealand KORU® apples have begun arriving at U.S. ports. Though the KORU variety is also now produced stateside, the bulk of the current available crop is harvested annually in New Zealand.

Tim Byrne, Manager, Coast to Coast Growers Cooperative“80% of these apples are in the three prime sizes, really perfect-size fruit,” said Tim Byrne, Manager of Coast to Coast Growers Cooperative. “This is the fourth New Zealand crop, slated for export to North America. These apples are ideal in many ways–sweet flavor, crisp flesh, great color, and good size.”

“KORU brings together the subtle sweetness of the Fuji with the Braeburn’s slight tang,” noted Byrne. “It’s really an inspired combination, perfect for eating, baking, and cooking.”

While the first May arrivals of KORU have been sold, more containers will be arriving later in May and over the next few months, so it is still possible to order these New Zealand KORU® apples in 12 kg 2-Layer RDT and 18 kg 4-Layer traypack cartons as well as pouch bags.


New York Apple Sales’ Jim Allen Discusses Increased Acreage and Upcoming Season

GLENMONT, NY – To further enrapture consumers with apples and gain those repeat sales, there are three main features of a variety that New York Apple Sales (NYAS) prizes amongst others: flavor, taste, and crunch. And with hundreds of acres of high-performing varieties in production, there is a lot of excitement for the team and the upcoming season.

As Jim Allen, VP of Marketing, recently told me, the company is adding new varieties for their customers with KORU®, Sweetango®, Snap Dragon®, Ruby Frost®, and future plans for Evercrisp®, and Smitten™.

“All of these newer apples have the same connection; they have that hard crunch and explosive characteristics that consumers are looking for,” Jim says. “Their sugar levels, hardness, and appearance are also wonderful, which helps boost consumer loyalty and increased purchases.”


Coast to Coast Grower’s Tim Byrne Talks Increased Production for KORU(r) Apples

GLENMONT, NY – Springtime means more than blooming flowers, warm weather, and backyard barbecues. With this new season comes a premium crop of KORU® apples to round out consumers’ favorite dishes and new seasonal recipes. In light of heightened consumer demand, the Coast to Coast Growers team has increased its KORU® program at large for the year.

As Tim Byrne, of the team’s Special Projects division, recently told me, the company has seen increased production on both the East and West Coast of the U.S. Currently, the company is harvesting out of New Zealand with eyes set on its U.S. harvest later this year.

“Domestic production will really ramp up in 2017 as more trees are being planted throughout the United States,” Tim tells me. “Harvest should start in late September and continue for several weeks.”


New York Apple Sales hires Jim Allen as VP of Marketing and Matt Wells as Director of Field Services

GLENMONT, NY – New York Apples Sales (NYAS) has announced two important hires this week; Jim Allen and Matt Wells have joined the company as Vice President of Marketing and Director of Field Services, respectively.

“Jim Allen’s extensive experience in all aspects of the produce industry will be a great plus for us,” said Kaari Stannard, President and Owner. “Along with his tenure at the Apple Association, he was in produce sales for 16 years, so he knows this business inside and out. Matt Wells brings the ideal background to our business. He grew up in a family fruit business, worked at Cornell, has been out in the field, and understands the procurement and sales processes completely.”


New York Apple Sales shipping key apple varieties from Nova Scotia

New York Apple Sales Inc. is now shipping latest-harvest apple varieties from Nova Scotia to customers in the United States. Orchards that are part of the Scotian Gold Cooperative grow and harvest Honeycrisp, Ambrosia and Sonya apples grown in the Annapolis Valley, near the Bay of Fundy. The three varieties being imported and distributed by New York Apple Sales offer interesting differentiation from their domestic counterparts.

“Warm days, cool nights, and the best agricultural soils in Atlantic Canada are three keys to why we produce such beautifully vibrant, well-colored apples,” Waldo Walsh, president and owner of Birchleigh Farms Ltd., said in a press release. “These factors also contribute to wonderfully firm, flavorful fruit that has a bright, intense flavor profile.”

Nova Scotia has the latest apple-growing season in North America. Trees don’t bloom until the later weeks of May, with the Honeycrisp harvest typically starting during the last week of September, and Ambrosia and Sonya picking to follow.