Good thread topic
Some of my highlights this season . . .
I got $2.50/lb for my Ashmead's this year. I also packaged up 3 Ashmead's, 3 Northern Spy and 3 Calville Blanc's as a 9 apple "Heirloom Pie Pack" for $10. The weight varied on the pie pack, but they sold like hot cakes.
As Susan said for her apples, I am also at a flat rate for all my other varieties at $2/lb. I only marketed 1st quality fruit this year. All the 2nds went to friends and family for pies, sauce and cider.
Some Customer feedback:1) Majority of my customers this year commented on their excitement to have a local source for heirloom apples
2) I had a number of folks inquire about more utilitarian fruit vs the 1st quality/fancy I was selling. I have taken clear note of this for the 2014 season.
3) I had people perk up when I mentioned that I had cider specific apples available.
4) Numerous folks specifically asked to be added to an emailing list to be made aware of when the various apples will be available next season. Many expressed a wish to order in advance. . . .
in which case I could pick them and have them ready for a will call. . . not too shabby.5) Lastly, I had the opportunity to share the concepts of holistic apple orcharding vs industrial organic and/or conventional approaches. It made a noticeable impression on a number of folks and that made me feel good.
Honeycrisp command a premium here on the West Coast too. My honeycrisp are not producing yet, but I managed to snap a photo from a popular local grocery co-op here in Grass Valley, CA (
The Briar Patch) and they were getting a whopping $4.29/lb for their organic honeycrisp apples. . . They were also getting between $3.29 and $4.00 per pound for every other variety they were selling too. . . stunning, but inspiring at the same time.
Ready for this??!!??
Now, I didnt see this myself, but, a good friend said that the Briar Patch market was selling organic Pink Pearl apples around the 1st of September for $6/lb!!! SIX DOLLARS a pound! According to my friend, they were flying off the shelf too. They had someone cutting them up and letting folks see & sample them 1st. This is not local fruit, but rather fruit sourced from the Sebastopol area of CA which sells it via farm stands at $2 to 2.50/lb. . . supply and demand at its finest huh?!
Gopher Hill ApplesZone 8 in California
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/21/2013 07:32PM by Paul Weir.