Chain drive adding value to apple sales


Aurora Golden Gala the initial focus as producers and PICO teamup for promotional effort. By Susan McIver


T


he Okanagan Plant Improvement Corporation (PICO) is putting the final touches on a project to promote and market B.C. fruit.


The value chain concept encompasses improving and linking the processes around a product from its production until it is in the hands of the customer. In the case of fruit, the major processes are growing, packing, distribution, promotion and marketing.


“All of our players are now in place,” said Ken Haddrell, PICO’s operations manager.


Summerland orchardist Jim Hermiston is one of those players.


“In contrast to supply chains, value chains are consumer- driven and involve a whole sequence of relationships based on trust,” Hermiston said.


He explained that value chains are price-setters, with producers having significant input into the price and everyone along the line getting a fair cut.


Supply chains are price-takers and can be “a race to the bottom,” according to Hermiston.


PICO’s value chain started with Rob Smith’s enthusiasm SUSAN MCIVER


Cawston grower Fred Nelson and a bin of his organically-grown Aurora apples.


for Aurora Golden Gala and customer demand for the apple. The owner of Berrymobile Fruit Distribution, Smith trucks fruit and berries to high-end outlets in the Lower Mainland and Squamish and delivers berries all the way to Pemberton. “It was love at first bite,” Smith said, recalling his first taste of variety 6923 over a decade ago. “I asked Ken for a list of test growers.”


Nine years ago, 6923 was named Aurora Golden Gala. “Aurora remains my favourite apple—crisp, sweet, juicy and thin-skinned,” Smith said.


While enhancing the eating experience, Aurora’s thin skin and its yellow colour led to it bruising easily and eventually being “delisted” by the big packing houses. Test orchardists who had taken the risk to grow Aurora were faced with a stark choice—replace their plantings with other varieties or hope a market would develop. Smith remembers a call from Haddrell who said, “I’ve got guys here with Aurora. Can you move some of their crop?” Urban Fare in Yaletown had been carrying the variety for several years with excellent customer response. Smith began working with other retailers and today close to 50 stores in the Lower Mainland feature Aurora.


“These include the various locations of Urban Fare, Whole Foods, Choices and Marketplace IGA, “ Smith said. To increase customer awareness, Smith has developed attractive in-store displays and offers customers slices of his favourite apple.


Samples and attractive in-store displays, such the one above in the MarketPlace IGA store on Vancouver's Main Street, increase customer awareness of Aurora Golden Gala.


“Almost everyone who tastes Aurora buys it and most become long time consumers,” Smith said. He attributes at least some consumer enthusiasm to the subtle qualities of Aurora similar to the terroir notion of grapes which links the specific locations where the grapes are grown to the taste of the wine made.


There can be hints of peach in the taste of Auroras grown near peach trees according to Smith.


Smith is also promoting the apple variety SPA493 alongside Aurora. “They display nicely together. Aurora is


British Columbia FRUIT GROWER • Summer 2012 13


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