PMA Fresh Summit – Honeybear Brands (Booth #1609) returns to PMA Fresh Summit this year with one singular message to retail buyers: flavor. The nation’s leading developer of new varieties says flavor is both the reason for runaway sales of it’s star variety Pazazz across North America as well as the central focus of every new apple in Honeybear’s busy varietal development portfolio.
“You can’t win at retail today without truly delivering amazing flavor,” says Don Roper, vice president, sales and marketing, Honeybear Brands. “Gone are the days when consumers bought apples based solely on appearance. Today’s buyer is much more savvy about their apple eating experience: they demand real flavor, texture, crunch and overall excellence in every bite. It’s so important that we spent ten years perfecting Pazazz’s unique flavor profile to ensure we’re offering our retail partners and their loyal customers an apple they really can’t find anywhere else.”
Honeybear will be showcasing the unique flavor profile of Pazazz – a perfect blend of sweet and tart flavors plus an explosive crunch – at PMA Fresh Summit Booth #1609. Show attendees will also get a first chance to sample and taste a few of the almost 100 new varieties in Honeybear’s robust varietal development program drawn from different genetic programs across North America. Both Pazazz and Honeybear’s new varieties are grown in test orchards stretching up and down the Mississippi River Valley and out to Washington, New York and Nova Scotia.
“On the ground feedback has been critical to our success since day one,” adds Roper. “So we’re excited to get first hand input from our buyers and other show attendees on this year’s Pazazz crop and the stars of tomorrow that we’re getting pretty close to launching. All the data and feedback we’ve seen to date from our retail partners across North America from last season points to some pretty exciting news: Pazazz is opening up a whole new spectrum of flavor for consumers – an incredible blend of sweet and tart flavors combined with a superior, crispy crunch never seen before.”
Now in its fourth year of commercial production, Pazazz will be introduced into between 50 and 75 percent more retailers in 2017 and 2018 than ever before. Initially a winter variety, Pazazz will now be available three months earlier than previous years in November and be on sale while supplies last through March into early April 2018
Pazazz and new varieties in development by Honeybear Brands are grown according to a strict set of protocols designed to protect the land for future generations, protect biodiversity and natural habitats in Honeybear grower orchards and create sustainable farming practices and livelihoods for grower communities. In the Midwest region, the system of protocols is known as TruEarth™ and was developed by Honeybear Brands in conjunction with the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Institute of North America. To date all Midwest growers have achieved TruEarth certification and Honeybear is in the process of rolling out TruEarth to all growing regions across North America.
“Real flavor and a truly different apple starts with the way it’s grown and carries through into the way it’s nurtured, picked, packed and shipped,” says Roper.
For more information about Honeybear Brands or Pazazz visit www.honeybearbrands.com and www.PazazzApple.com. See Honeybear at PMA Fresh Summit Booth #1609.