Italy's VOG reaches agreement to grow Crimson Snow apples
Italian fruit group VOG Consortium is due to start planting Crimson Snow apple trees in 2020, following an agreement reached with brand right holder Kiku Variety Management. 
Crimson Snow, which has red skin and white flesh, was developed in Australia as variety ‘MC38’ and bred by Kiku.
The Consortium's growers will be dedicating 100 hectares of land to production of the club variety.
In a release, VOG said the variety had a storage life of "almost 12 months with all its characteristics intact", making it ideal for sale in the second half of the season when availability of other red-skin varieties is limited.
The new variety joins the other seven club apples the VOG Consortium already grows and markets: Kanzi, Pink Lady, Rubens, Modì, Jazz, Envy and yello.
“The contract signed for Crimson Snow® is part of the VOG Consortium's ongoing research and development strategy," director Gerhard Dichgans said in a release.
"We are firmly convinced that the future of apples depends on innovation: new varieties with outstanding characteristics and use properties are proving very effective in winning back consumers.
"During its first few years on the market, Crimson Snow® has already proven its worth, so we believe it can perform very well for us."
Kiku Variety Management CEO Jürgen Braun added the agreement meant more growth for the cultivar.
"We see it as a major step in our apple's development: the Consortium's strength and reliability make it an ideal partner," he said.
"We're looking for land suitable for growing the new apple, and the VOG growers' valley bottom orchards fit the bill perfectly. The new alliance will make an important contribution to the new apple's success."
VOG also while the key market for club apples was currently Italy and Europe, the variety was also highly suitable for export over long distances.
Crimson Snow is also grown in Italy by Rivoira Giovanni & Figli, Sanifrutta, Fratelli Clementi and Bio Meran.
The total area allocated to the new apple in the country at present is almost 400 hectares, with the target of reaching 550 by 2022 (700 Europe-wide).
This year's crop was 4,500 metric tons (MT). In a few years' time, when all the planned hectares have been planted, Italian output of 20,000MT is estimated.
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