New Kiku Apple Is "So Sweet"
With its candy sweet taste and vibrant red coloration, the Kiku apple is sure to make a splash in the U.S. market.
A new variety is about to hit the U.S. market that’s sure to become a fast staple in sweet apple lovers’ fruit bowls. The Kiku apple, a Fuji sport, is being introduced to the American marketplace by Columbia Marketing International (CMI).
Applewood Orchards Inc. in Deerfield, MI, received a sublicense to grow the Kiku this past April, joining Rice Fruit Co. in Gardners, PA, along with Columbia Fruit Packers Inc.
“We’ve had the apple here in test plantings, we’ve been watching it for the last several years, and we’re very impressed with it,” says Rice Fruit Company president John Rice. “It’s an apple I think will do very well in this particular area in terms of our climate and such.”
Rice says he’s always been successful with Fuji varieties, producing extremely sweet apples, and he was surprised to find the Kiku is even sweeter. “We think it won’t take very long for it to get established because it’s a type of apple that Americans are becoming increasingly attached to,” Rice says. “In our experience, the sweeter the apple, the better. This is probably the sweetest apple we’ve come across yet.”
Rice says he’s impressed with the Kiku’s coloration, too. It’s a striped variety, which he compares to a well-colored Gala. “They’ve been attractively striped all around,” he says.
CMI, which is marketing the variety, will also be enforcing strict quality standards for the Kiku. It will have to maintain a mostly red coloration and have a minimum sugar content — 16 brix — significantly higher than other apples.
The Marketing
CMI is developing the marketing plan for the Kiku, which is currently being marketed in Europe. The logo is colorful, featuring a distinctive blue color on the label and box. “Much like they’ve done with the Pink Lady, we would adopt a universal logo for it, and the packaging would match that, and then it would be identifiable to consumers,” Rice says.
Scott Swindeman, vice president of Applewood Orchards, which also will be growing the Kiku, says consumers have been expressing interest in Kiku for quite some time. “Dr. Jurgen Braun and his brother Thomas have been promoting worldwide the apple their father Luis discovered in 1990,” he says. “A market owner here in Michigan contacted Kiku Europe long before the apple became available in the U.S. asking for information on the program.”
CMI will promote Kiku’s initial release using the “Fresh Apple Emotion” campaign used in Europe, Swindeman says. “As production increases in Washington State, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and possibly other states, the marketing effort will be led and coordinated by CMI, while incorporating the sales and marketing of Rice Fruit Co. and Applewood Orchards, Inc. This will be enhanced by a coordinated effort, again by CMI, to introduce southern hemisphere countries to supply nearly year-round Kiku.”
Very few will see Kiku at retail this year, Swindeman adds. Columbia Fruit Packers, Inc. has the biggest Kiku production currently, and it will be a couple of years before Pennsylvania and Michigan will be producing it.
“In markets unfamiliar with Kiku, we hope to provide an attractive package, exceptional eating experience, and a story behind the effort to sustain its horticulture, packaging, and marketing practices,” Swindeman says.
Ann-Marie Vazzano was managing editor of American Fruit Grower magazine, a Meister publication.
Comments (10)
Vickie Cooper (Thu Jun 6 19:39:06 2013)
The Kiku apple is the sweetest and most delicious apple we have ever tasted! How are these grown organically without the need for chemicals or pesticides?
Brenda (Sat Mar 30 16:11:51 2013)
OMG! JUST PICKED ONE UP TWO DAYS AGO IN SALEM OR. ROTHS IGA. KINDA SPENDY. BUT MY NEW FAVORITE....SORRY PINK LADY!
Rayt (Sun Feb 10 20:41:51 2013)
Excellent. Best apple ever. Just finished my first one with some cheese and crackers for our Sunday evening sank.
Connie (Fri Feb 1 15:12:39 2013)
Feb. 1, 2013 I was in Market of Choice in Corvallis, Or. yesterday and picked up this new apple. I am always trying new ones. It is very crispy, sweet and juicy. I found the skin a little tough but will buy more if given the chance.
RENAE LORENTI (Wed Nov 28 16:46:32 2012)
I NOTICED THIS NEW LOOKING TYPE OF APPLES IN A BASKET AT MY GROCERY STORE IN JUPITER, FLA. THEY LOOKED BEAUTIFUL AND SO RED. I SANK MY TEETH IN THIS JUICE, CRUNCHY, CRISP AND ULTRA SWEET APPLE. I COULDNT BELIEVE THE TASTE! IT WAS NOTHING I EVER HAD IN A APPLE. IT WAS SO SWEET AND DELICIOUS! I HAD TO GIVE ON ETO MY ELDERLY DAD WHO WAS ABLE TO EAT IT AND LOVED IT SO MUCH. WE PICKED APPLES WHEN I WAS YOUND IN VERMONT ALL THE TIME, SO WE TRIED MANY DIFFERENT TYPES OF APPLES, I MUST SAY THIS KIKU TOPS ANYTHING WE EVER HAD. I WENT BACK TO THE GROCERY STORE TODAY TO BUY MORE!
Roberta (Mon Aug 27 10:20:19 2012)
Bought the apples in Clearwater, FL. I didn't even realize I was buying a new brand until I ate one. They're amazing! The juicyist apple I have ever had. I hope the US will produce them.
aaa (Mon Feb 27 16:35:51 2012)
Bought some at Whole Foods. Excellent!!!!
Juan (Wed Jan 18 18:05:00 2012)
Wow - that is a great apple. Picked them up at a local store here in Austin, Texas. I had never heard of this variety, but they were large good-looking apples at a great price. Tried a couple, and we're hooked. It's crack for apple eaters. Going to go back and get a lot more, and try using them as baked apples, pie, and in a strudel. Don't pass up the chance to try one - juicy, sweet, firm. Back to the store....
Carol (Wed Jan 18 15:42:07 2012)
1-17-2012 I found my kikus at the Safeway store in Anacortes, WA. I love trying new apple varieties, so it was a real treat to find these. What a taste treat! Sweet, crunchy, juicy with a hint of tartness. The sign above them said they will be available for only a limited time. What a shame. At least I hope to see them again about this time next year.
Helen Hannah (Mon Jan 16 12:22:10 2012)
My local grocery store has the Kiku apple on sale this week. I am interested in tasting this apple. I will purchase a few and let you know what I think. I love a sweet and crisp apple. I am always looking to satisfy that craving in an apple.
