Apples that missed the boat

Crisp, juicy, and grown to impress the world, these apples just happen to be staying home this season. Here's why that's a very good thing for your fruit bowl.

_{INTRODUCING...FRESHCO}

Freshco are a Hawke’s Bay export grower focused on one thing: growing premium apples for international markets. Their fruit is shipped all over the world, from Asia through to Europe and beyond.

Their orchards produce some of the most carefully graded apples in the country, sorted for colour, size, shape and surface quality to meet some of the strictest standards going.

A lot of New Zealanders have never heard of them. But there’s a solid chance their apples have already impressed someone on the other side of the world.

_{THE GOOD NEWS}

The last few apple seasons in New Zealand have been genuinely strong. Since Cyclone Gabrielle, growers have had a couple of really good years. Conditions have been on their side, fruit quality has been high, and more apples than usual have made it through to export grade.

It’s been a welcome shift. But even in a great season, the export spec doesn’t move.

Export markets have a strict cosmetic checklist, and it’s not a short one. A tiny hail mark, a bit of wind rub, some natural russeting, or a size that’s just outside the grade can be enough for an apple to miss the cut, no matter how good it tastes.

One of the more surprising ones is colour. Not red enough. Perfectly ripe, perfectly delicious, just not quite the right shade for someone’s shelf somewhere overseas.

None of it changes how it eats. It just means the apple doesn’t quite fit the brief.

So instead of heading off around the world, those apples stay a little closer to home. We’ve worked closely with Freshco over the years to make sure this fruit finds its way into New Zealand kitchens. More of the crop gets harvested, the grower gets a better return, and you get seriously good apples that might not otherwise make it onto a local shelf.

_{THE APPLE YOU WON’T FIND ANYWHERE ELSE}

Freshco also grows the Sonya apple, a variety developed right here in New Zealand. It’s naturally sweeter than most, with a distinctive tall shape that’s easy to spot once you know it.

It’s tightly controlled and rarely sold locally, which means Wonky Box is one of the only places in the country where you’re likely to come across one. If you spot a Sonya in your box, you’re in on something pretty special. Let us know what you think and we’ll pass it on.

_{WHAT TO EXPECT}

A crisp, juicy and sweet season ahead. Harvested at their best and heading straight to your door without the long journey around the world. Grown for the world, staying a little closer to home this season.