SnapDragon and RubyFrost apples are performing well against other managed apple varieties, according to a new analysis.

Nielsen retail scan data collected for the three months starting Dec. 1, 2018, show that Crunch Time Apple Growers’ SnapDragon and RubyFrost built sales momentum, according to a news release. For the three regions included in the review — Mid-Atlantic, South Atlantic and New England — SnapDragon generated more than a 90-fold rate of dollar growth from 2105 to 2019.

Speaking at the New York Produce Show in December, Rena Montedoro, vice president of sales and marketing at Crunch Time Apple Growers, said the SnapDragon and RubyFrost are holding their own in a highly competitive market. 

A performance summary of the three regions by Category Partners showed that of the top 15 managed varieties, SnapDragon ranked No. 7 and RubyFrost ranked No. 13 in total dollars for the three-month period.

SnapDragon sales for that period totaled $189,214, up 9,403% compared with 2015, when it was a new variety.

Compared with the previous season, 2018-19 SnapDragon sales were up 43% in the Mid-Atlantic, 58% higher in New England, and 80% greater in the South Atlantic region. Compared with the year-earlier numbers, 2018-19 sales of RubyFrost were down 46% in the Mid-Atlantic, but up 13% in the South Atlantic and up 23% in New England.

By volume, compared with the previous season, SnapDragon sales for the three-month period starting December 2018, were up 91% in the South Atlantic, 70% up in New England and 61% higher in the Mid-Atlantic. RubyFrost volume for the period, compared with the previous year, was 32% down in the Mid-Atlantic, up 22% in New England and 14% higher in the South Atlantic region.

“Our two brands of premium apples — SnapDragon and RubyFrost — are doing very well, especially when you consider the number of managed variety apples in the marketplace today vs. even just a few years ago,” Montedoro said in the release.

Pricing and distribution

The Category Partners study, which used Nielsen retail numbers, found that average apple pricing in the three regions for the total apple category for the three-month period was $1.80 per pound, while premium varieties averaged $2.14 per pound. SnapDragon and RubyFrost sold at prices close to the average for premium apples, according to the study.