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In New Zealand, the name Bostock is synonymous with organic. Bostock New Zealand organic apples, juice, onions and even ice cream & chicken can be found throughout the country. This year, Bostock New Zealand set up an office in North America and began selling organic apples directly to US and Canadian customers, along with plans for a major launch of a new apple variety in 2020.
The company has developed a whole new range of apple products especially for the US consumers. according to Jodi Carkner, vice president of sales. Working with two other partners, Bostock New Zealand set up a dedicated company for the research and development of new, exclusive varieties for the US market.
Jodi Carkner, VP of Sales of Bostock New Zealand
Their newest exclusive New Zealand variety Dazzle™ will be commercially available in 2020. It took 20 years to develop the variety by Plant & Food Research (PFR) at its research station in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand. The company is marketing Dazzle™ as “MAGIC IN EVERY BITE” because of its sweet, crisp ready-to-eat flavor.
“Our customers are really excited about the oncoming new varieties we have. The Dazzle Apple is an exciting one and we think it’s is set to become one of the world’s most popular apples." Carkner said.
Samples of the Dazzle™ variety were tasted at the Organic Produce Summit in July. Company founder John Bostock and Export Director David Brasell traveled from New Zealand to attend the show with Jody.
John Bostock, Founder of Bostock New Zealand
“It was a great opportunity to meet with our customers and potential customers and showcase our delicious organic New Zealand apples,” Bostock said. “Our organic apples have been extremely well received by customers and the major USA retail chains, so it was a successful trip for us.”
John Bostock began converting his apple orchards to organic production in 1996 and is now the largest organic apple grower in the Southern Hemisphere.
“Today, Bostock New Zealand ships 85 percent of New Zealand’s organic apples and we have the size and scale that merits going direct to North America customers, supplying premium produce directly,” Bostock said. “We only grow organic apples, so we are completely committed to helping our customers develop the organic category further.”
The North Island of New Zealand, where Bostock organic apples are grown, is an officially declared GMO Free region.
Carkner believes this gives Bostock an advantage in the competitive organic apple marketplace. “The demand for organic produce is growing and US consumers want to have confidence that their organic apples have been grown sustainably in a clean environment. Being GMO free is a significant point of difference which Bostock New Zealand offers,” she said.
