Temptation Valley makes a splash
Later this month, Ardgour Valley Orchards apricots will burst onto the world stage and domestic supermarket shelves under the Temptation Valley brand.
For the first time, New Zealanders have also been able to buy Temptation Valley apricots and Temptation Valley cherries online for next-day delivery.
Ardgour Valley Orchards’ international sales and marketing manager Sharon Kirk said the Temptation Valley brand was developed to resonate with apricot consumers the world over. The brand’s launch would be a dramatic entrance for the first five specialty apricots released for commercialisation by New Zealand’s Plant & Food Research two years ago.
“Summer series apricots by Temptation Valley are uniquely New Zealand, moreish and tempting.
“We developed an emotive brand to describe the feeling of summer love through the slightly different seasonal timing of summer series apricots,” she said.
“We have the most beautiful looking, delicious apricots in the world and we want people to ‘fall in love’ with every bite of every apricot by remembering what it’s like to fall in love.
“First you meet someone and there’s a spark, so the first to ripen is Summer Spark. That spark turns into desire (Summer Desire), then the charm develops as you get to know someone, (Summer Charm) and, as you fall in love, there’s a passion (Summer Passion) and finally a blaze (Summer Blaze).”
While all varieties were highly blushed, juicy and sweet with an expected brix around 18 compared with the industry standard of 9-11, each had its own distinct eating attributes, she said.
“Over time, consumers will develop a taste for their favourite from the summer series just as they have with other well-known apricot varieties.
“Temptation Valley is a beautiful, upbeat brand that matches the vibrancy of the apricots. The packaging is delightful, attractive and developed around a Garden of Eden theme that is one of richness and irresistibility. A sticker on each punnet, box and carton signifies which variety is inside.”
Ardgour Valley Orchards also produces Kioto variety apricots as well as four cherry varieties including hero cherry, distinctive white-fleshed, red-blushed Stardust and red varieties, Lapin, Kordia and Sweet Georgia.
For the export trade, Temptation Valley apricots will be presented in deep blue boxes (3kg, 5kg) while Temptation Valley cherries will be packed in red boxes (1kg, 2kg and 5kg).
A 900g apricot punnet will also be available domestically.
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Summer Spark are the first Temptation Valley apricots to ripen. |
Volume Doubles
Of approximately 150 tonnes of Temptation Valley apricots to be harvested this season, about 100 tonnes will be exported to Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Dubai, Saudia Arabia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
This is more than double the volume produced last season and is due to tree age and ideal conditions during the blossoming and fruit-set period.
Sharon Kirk says Ardgour Valley Orchards had a 56% share of the summer series market and was the largest producer growing the summerfruit under licence to NZ Summerfresh, the commercial partner of Plant & Food Research.
It is also one of the largest apricot producers in New Zealand with some 25 hectares of apricots and 13 hectares of cherries under production.
The first of Temptation Valley’s cherries to harvest, the Stardust variety had attracted a premium internationally with retailers in the Middle East and Asia seizing on its point of difference to develop creative retail programs, she said.
Stardust cherries will be available from early January for about 10 days. Of 25 tonnes to be harvested about 20 will be exported. About 20 tonnes of the other red varieties will be exported.
New Zealand consumers can find Temptation Valley’s Summer series apricots at leading independent retail outlets nationally, Costco in Auckland and potentially leading supermarket chains nationally.
They can also buy Temptation Valley apricots and cherries online through the newly launched Ardgour Valley Orchards’ web store.
Ardgour Valley Orchards’ apricot and cherry harvest began in late December with the peak of the season coinciding with Chinese New Year celebrations in late January. Apricots will be available until late February.
