World-first mini Rockit apple launched
10 Aug 2010
A New Zealand fruit grower wants to take a bite out of the global apple industry.
Phil Alison, who owns the Havelock North Fruit Company in sunny Hawke’s Bay, has developed the ‘Rockit’ - a bite-sized apple that he believes will become a sought after healthy snack.
The miniature apples are a world-first, and will initially have a small run in Hawke’s Bay before being put to the test in global markets.
The tiny snack-sized taste sensations are an attractive, intense blush red in colour, and just slightly bigger than a golf ball.
Alison says Rockit apples taste sweet and crunchy and are "distinctively fresh". The apple is not genetically-modified but is the result of careful cross-breeding between a few handpicked varieties.
"Part of the Rockit’s uniqueness is its size. This is a snack sensation and we believe it will appeal to the younger age group, and it will pick up the non-apple eater," says Alison.
Bite-sized taste sensations
Phil Alison says that the time and money poured into research for the Rockit has all been worth it - as the company’s dream had been to provide the world with a tasty, healthy and convenient alternative snack.
Although the bite-sized apples can only currently be found in New Zealand supermarkets, Alison plans to market the fruit globally and is already looking into selling to the UK, US and select Asian markets.
Rockit apple trees will take about three years to mature and produce fruit, says Alison.
"It is an easy apple to grow. There’s nothing different about the way we are growing it compared to other varieties."
New Zealand apples
English missionary Samuel Marsden brought the first apple and pear trees into New Zealand in 1819 - one of his original pear trees is still standing in Kerikeri, in New Zealand’s far north.
Christchurch was the first city in New Zealand to export local apples overseas. The first batch of apples was sent to Chile in 1888, and small batch exports to the UK began in the 1890s.
The two main apple-growing regions in New Zealand are Nelson, at the top of the South Island - which produces a third of the country’s export fruit, and the Hawke’s Bay, which produces more than half.
In 2006, New Zealand contributed around 500,000 tonnes of apples to the world apple industry, which constitutes about 5% of the production market.
More information
New Zealand farmers' markets
Paddock to the plate
A taste of New Zealand
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