The first shipments of South Africa's Flash Gala apples will reach the Far East this February.

Produced by Bigbucks Growers Association, the apples were sent to the region by Tru-Cape Fruit Marketing, South Africa's largest apple exporter.

According to a recent press release, the Bigbucks Growers Association expects the trademarked apple variety to "increase exponentially" in volumes for 2020.

This comes nine years after the association discovered the variety. Bigbucks claims that the grower who plants their trees "will have a saleable crop of Flash Gala apples every time".

Also, trees of the variety are more efficient, as growers can pick its trees "in one go". In contrast, other trees that need multiple pickings to get the right color.

Calla du Toit of Bigbucks said that the find of the variety was extremely rewarding.

In its seventh decade of operations, the association sees the Flash Gala as a "reward for a lifetime of passion for the fruit industry", he said. A unique quality of the Flash Gala is its stability. Genetically speaking, it hasn't seen any reversions.

A press release also detailed the story of the apple variety's name. Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen of Bigbucks said that "the idea behind Flash Gala is that it will be sold in a flash".

The bright, trademark color of the fruit is also what inspired the name.