|
Market
Information
About Apple Varieties
| Apple and Pear Variety Chart
| Point-of-Sale Materials | Storage
and Display | Handling Apples
| Merchandising | Apple
Grades | Frequently Asked Questions
| Retailer Information
at a Glance | Packers
and Shippers | Apple Processors
Retailer
Information at a Glance
Profits
in the Crunch
Freshen up sales with Crisp and Crunchy Nova Scotia Apples!
Handle with
care
Apples are fragile - treat them gently. Hand fill bulk apple
displays no more than three layers deep to avoid bruised
fruit and to create neat, clean-looking displays. Avoid
high stacks of cartons or bags, as bottom layers may be
bruised from the pressure. Always rotate displays (first
in - first out), culling bruised or overripe apples before
they begin to decay and cause others to breakdown. Apples
absorb odours and should be kept away from products with
strong odours, such as onions. Apples produce ethylene gas
as they ripen. Locate them away from leafy greens, carrots,
and flora products affected by ethylene.
Let your variety
show
According to the International Apple Institute, offering
five varieties of apples instead of one will increase total
sales by up to 36%, and the addition of good informative
displays (posters, variety cards, bin wraps, nutrition and
recipe information) will increase sales by up to 112%. Entice
customers to sample varieties by offering in-store sampling.
It's cool
to be cool
Apples love to be cool and should be displayed in refrigerated
cases for maximum freshness and appeal. Apples are best
stored and displayed at 0° to 4°C, with 90% relative
humidity. They are moderately sensitive to chill injury
and will freeze at -1.5°C. Apples soften 10 times faster
at 22°C than at 0°C. Depending on the variety, storage
life varies from 1 to 12 months.
Making good
grades
Apples retailed in Canada are subject to Federal and/or
Provincial grading standards according to colour, size,
and quality. The grades are Canada Extra Fancy, Canada Fancy,
and Canada Commercial. Most apples with a certain degree
and depth of varietal colour and with a uniform shape and
size (2 3/8" min. diam.) would be graded Canada Fancy,
for example; Commercial, or "C," grade apples
may have less colour then Canada Fancy or they may have
irregular shapes or slight cosmetic defects, but they are
a great choice for cooking.
To Market,
To Market
Effective merchandising techniques will go a long way to
increasing profits from your produce department. Attractive,
well-managed and informative displays create new opportunities
to attract and better inform your customers. Apples can
be cross-merchandised with other lunch box suggestions,
such as raisins. The possibilities are endless.
|
