Pink Lady Adds New Varieties

Already a large consumer favorite with more than a dozen years in the marketplace, Pink Lady America (PLA) is adding naturally-occurring varieties to the Pink Lady trademark which will result in improvements to some fruit characteristics.

Officials from the Yakima, Wash.-based grower-supported organization note the non-GMO varieties of Barnsby, Maslin, Rosy Glow, Ruby Pink and Lady-In-Red (if under license) are now included under the Pink Lady trademark. Therefore, to eliminate consumer confusion, these varieties will need to be sold under Pink Lady store signage.

“This is great news for the consumer,” explained Dr. John Reeves, PLA general manager. “It first points to the assurance of natural improvements in this apple to be seen in future seasons. It also means that the use of the Pink Lady trademark – that’s the Pink Lady set of words – in store signage on these varieties will make consumer confusion a thing of the past.”

It's also "a very positive move for produce merchandisers who may be wrestling with the identification to be put on a display holding Pink Lady brand apples,” said Reeves, noting, "There is no decision to be made – it needs to be Pink Lady.”

Reeves is also quick to point out that this inclusion of other varieties under the name of an apple is nothing really new, as it’s been a standard practice in the industry for other apples for many years.

"The major difference here is the involvement of a trademark name along with a brand promise with specific quality requirements in that promise that are focused on those varieties,” said Reeves. “So, this becomes yet another reason for those in the apple industry and at retail to be supportive of trademarked fruit in the future. It’s all about product improvement and related quality assurances.”

Growers, produce merchandisers and consumers, Reeves continued, will be seeing such advances as expanded market availability with Pink Lady brand apples arriving in stores much earlier in the season.

“As the last apple to be harvested, Pink Lady brand apples have traditionally also been very late to reach the market with ‘new crop’ supplies,” said Reeves. “Now we’ll be seeing newly harvested Pink Lady apples on the market as much as two months earlier.”

Also adding to the earlier arrival of this consumer favorite will be trademarked apples being ready to eat when harvested. This compares to the original apple sometimes needing to be stored for a period of time while sugars and acids come to balance.

“While an expanded season is a terrific consumer benefit, it’s also important to remember this continues to be an apple meeting the original brand promise,” Reeves adds. “This means a non-GMO apple providing the sweet/tart flavor profile, crunchy texture and the slow to turn brown with cut characteristics the consumer has become so used to enjoying.”

It’s also important to note that apples marketed under the Pink Lady brand and which support the brand promise need to be sold under Pink Lady store signage, in keeping with being packed with specific quality standards.

For more information, contact Dr. Reeves at [email protected] or 509-840-5075.