Fresh produce beginnings A to Z - Apples

Leaning on the limitless data of our always-on Claude, I thought we could explore the commercial history of our favorite fruits and vegetables.

Today, let’s grill Claude on apples

Claude, tell me about the origin and commercialization of apples

Claude: Apples have a very long history as a cultivated fruit. Some key points about the origin and commercialization of apples include:

Apples are believed to originally come from Central Asia, likely Kazakhstan. Wild apples still grow there and evidence suggests apples were first cultivated around 4,000-6,000 years ago in the region.

Apple cultivation slowly spread to Europe and the Romans further cultivated tasty varieties of apples. During medieval times, monasteries in Britain and Europe grew apples.

In North America, apples were brought over and cultivated by European colonists in the 17th century. Apples were well suited to many climate conditions from New England, New York, the Great Lakes region, and Washington state.

By the 19th century, commercial apple orchards started flourishing in the United States and innovative propagating techniques allowed fast breeding of apple varieties favorable to commerce. Controlled cross-pollination led to new popular sweet apples.

Major apple exporting regions emerged including the Pacific Northwest. Washington State now produces the most apples in the U.S. - up to 12 billion pounds annually. New York, Michigan, Pennsylvania, California also grow many apples supporting a $4 billion U.S. apple industry.

Advancements in transportation, controlled atmosphere storage, and globalization enabled apples to be sold commercially worldwide. Major production areas include China, Turkey, Poland, Italy, France, Chile, South Africa beyond the largest producers - China and the United States.

How are apples today different than 200 years ago?

Claude: Apples today are quite different than they were 200 years ago in several key ways:

Variety - There are thousands of different cultivars of apples today thanks to advances in apple breeding and propagating techniques. Many sweeter, bigger, and more colorful apple varieties are now commonly available compared to more limited types 200 years ago.

Disease Resistance - Modern apple varieties have been bred to be more resistant to common diseases like apple scab, powdery mildew, and fire blight. Older apples did not have genetic resistance and were more susceptible.

Storage Life - New varieties can be stored for nearly a year with controlled atmosphere storage. Older apples had a fresh storage life of only a couple months before going bad.

Appearance - Many older apple varieties were much smaller, less visually appealing in shape and color, and blemished compared to bigger, perfect-looking modern supermarket varieties.

Taste - Modern commercial apples are often bred more for appearance and shipability rather than flavor. Many antique apples inherited complex flavors from their ancestors while newer varieties tend to be milder tasting.

Productivity - Dwarfing rootstocks developed in the 20th century means apple trees today bear fruit earlier and have much higher yield potential than standard trees used hundreds of years ago.

So while older apples may have lacked the beauty and reliability of modern ones, they likely possessed more diversity, unique flavors, and natural disease resistance due to centuries of evolution.

How important are apples to fresh produce sales at supermarkets?

Claude: Apples are very important to fresh produce sales at supermarkets. Some key points about the importance of apples:

Apples are the second most valuable fruit crop in the United States after oranges.

Apples consistently rank in the top 3 most purchased fruits at American grocery stores each year after bananas and oranges.

It is estimated that apples account for nearly 10% of all fresh fruit purchases at American supermarkets which amounts to billions in sales annually.

Bagged apples have surged in popularity for convenience and now account for over 25% of apple volume sold. This shows innovation around apples boosts sales.

As a category, apples bring in more revenue to supermarket produce departments than other large categories like citrus, melons, berries, stone fruit, tropicals, and grapes.

Apples are a fruit steadily purchased year-round which creates reliable weekly sales, unlike more seasonal fruits. Their long storage life enables year-round supply.

New apple varieties like Honeycrisp and club apples have higher profit margins due to exclusivity, allowing apples to be a premium priced produce category.

In summary, apples rank near the top among all fresh fruits Americans buy habitually thanks to their popularity, storage ability, variety, and balanced pricing - making them invaluable to supermarkets seeking to drive produce sales.

What are some interesting facts about apples and their history?

Claude: Here are some interesting facts about the history of apples:

Apples originated in the mountain regions of Kazakhstan over 60 million years ago. Apples likely started out small, sour and bitter - vastly different than the apples we enjoy today.

Charred apple seeds found in Anatolia (Turkey) trace back evidence of apple cultivation to 6,500 BC at least. Apples were likely one of the earliest fruits humans intentionally grew.

Ancient Greeks and Romans pioneered apple grafting techniques to propagate desirable fruits during their era over 2,000 years ago. This allowed apple cultivation to spread beyond apple's native Central Asia.

Apple cider was the table drink of choice for medieval people before advances in brewing and vineyards for wine-making started dominating European drink preferences.

When the Black Plague hit Europe, people believed eating apples could prevent the disease helping the fruit’s popularity. This contributed ‘apple a day keeps the doctor away’ ideas.

Apple orchards & cider production were rapidly growing enterprises in early American colonial settlements in the 17th-18th centuries. Apple cider was more lucrative and abundant than wine initially.

John Chapman aka ‘Johnny Appleseed’ brought apple seeds and saplings specifically westward for orchard planting from Massachusetts through the Ohio valley in the early 1800s.

There are now over 7,500 cultivars of apples grown today. The global apple trade now exceeds 80 billion apples a year led by major producers China, USA, Turkey, Poland and Italy.

What are some trends in the development of apple varieties for the next decade or so?

Claude: Based on recent advances in apple breeding and consumer demands, some major trends we can expect to see in new apple variety development over the next 10 years include:

Club Apples - Unique patented varieties that can only be grown/sold by authorized growers, allowing branding and exclusivity. Examples are Cosmic Crisp and Rockit Apples. More club apples focused on flavor, texture, and marketing allure.

Snack-Sized - Smaller apple varieties more apt as on-the-go healthy snack options. Examples are the Rockit, Kika, and Kanzi apples. Sweeter flavors preferred.

Texture Innovations - Consumer surveys show preference shifting toward crisper, crunchy apples versus softer varieties. Expect focus by breeders on honing texture.

Year-Round Availability - New late-harvest apples allowing sales to extend deeper into summer (like the EverCrisp) and early season varieties ripening ahead of traditional Fall apples.

Bolder Colors - Vibrant bi-colored and red-fleshed apples attract consumer eyes and preference polling. Cosmetically appealing apples will expand from mainstays like Red Delicious.

Disease Resistance - All new varieties will carry genetic traits combating common apple diseases like apple scab and fire blight, reducing use of pesticides.

The apple industry evolves to ever-changing consumer tastes. We’ll see innovative varieties this decade satisfying demands for uniqueness, taste, visual appeal and convenience - led by club apples.

Finally, a question for the group:

What is your favorite apple variety (among those listed here)?

With just the first hour of voting and 55 tallies:

• Honeycrisp: 47%

• Granny Smith: 15%

• Gala: 20%

• Fuji: 18%

And one comment:

Mark Caminiti : Although these are some of the top selling varieties, there is one that should definitely be on the list. The Sugarbee! Very sweet, very firm and a very eye appealing apple 🍎 Check out Chelan Fresh for this apple!!! Also check out Jungle Jim's for this in stock variety!

Other links….