Kissabel®, the apple that is red on the inside
Surprisingly good results of the Kissabel® harvest in the northern hemisphere
The harvest of the red apple, Kissabel, has concluded in the European countries belonging to IFORED with excellent quality and significant market prospects.
Its innovative appearance, with flesh in colours ranging from pink to red, is its main distinguishing feature.
In Germany, the harvest quality has been excellent, particularly for Kissabel® Rouge, both in colour and taste. “The first tests carried out in the Edeka chain have shown very positive results and are bringing great expectations,” according to Dirk Zabel, head of Variety Innovation at Deutsches Obstsorten Konsortium.
On the other hand, Kissabel® Jaune and Orange are concentrated on the British market. Robert Jarvis, from Greenyard Fresh, explains that both varieties are marketed as autumn and pre-Christmas produce. The volumes have been very well received by British retailers such as Tesco, Waitrose, Coop and Aldi.
The Swiss market is following in the footsteps of the British market, where the Orange and Jaune varieties also predominate.
“Although there is no commercial production yet in France, there is great expectation regarding this new apple,” Frederic Aubert, technical manager from Blue Whale, comments. Therefore, 2019 will be the commercial launching year with a volume of 200 tonnes being reached.
Sources from the Italian company NovaMela, emphasise their interest in continuing to work on this to gain experience, both in the agronomic management and in the conservation capacity.
Spanish production
The technical manager at Nufri (Spain), Josep Maria Benet, explains that his work includes the Rouge variety and “at present we are carrying out tests on different weather and altitude conditions to determine the ideal cultivation area. We are sure that the red flesh of this apple will surprise consumers.”
