N.Z.-Made Apple Juice To Be On Sale Next Month

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29802, 19 April 1962, Page 19

N.Z.-Made Apple Juice To Be On Sale Next Month

(From. Our Own Reporter) NELSON, April 17. Two types of New Zealandmade canned apple juice and apple-orange juice will be on sale next month as a result of activities at the Apple and Pear Board’s new fruitprocessing factory at Stoke. The modern factory, designed for future expansion, employs a staff of 79, mostly women. It processes lowergrade Nelson apples for juice, and for pre-cooked packs for export. Three types of apples—all mature, mellow fruit—are being used at the factory to produce clear apple juice, opalescent apple juice, and apple-orange juice. Retail prices are expected to be Is 6d and Is 9d respectively for 20oz cans, to be on sale in May. “Although the fruit juices should be on the Nelson market soon, no active sales promotion will begin until we have sufficient stocks to supply at least Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.” said the Apple and Pear Board’s sales manager, Mr J. B. Cubey, recently. Exhaustive tests were meanwhile being carried out to perfect the blend of appleorange juice by using Rarotongan oranges and imported orange concentrate, Mr Cubey said. “Eventually, it will be the

board's policy to encourage and educate people to drink fruit juices every day,” Mr Cubey said. Inquiries about the factory's export products have already been received from Honolulu, Singapore, Hong Kong, Britain, and Europe. So far, 10,000 cartons containing six one-gallon cans of pre-cooked apple filling have been sent overseas. The cartons and cans have all been made in Christchurch, and have bright, attractive labels bearing the words: “Processed by the New Zealand Apple and Pear Marketing Board, Nelson, New Zealand.” Exploitation of the overseas market would depend on the availability of direct shipping from Nelson, said Mr Cubey. Freight charges would increase if the products had to be shipped to Wellington, and reloaded in overseas vessels. First Step In 1956 The first step in establishing the new apple-juice in-dustry-long contemplated by the Apple and Pear Board, and encouraged by Nelson applegrowers—was taken in 1956. In that year, 146 cases of different varieties of apples were sent to Mr F. E. Atkinson, associate director bf the Summerland Research Station in British Columbia. Samples of the products, which tests had shown to be the most practical uses for the apples.

were sent back to New Zealand for the board's decision. The next year, 1957, 16,000 oases of mixed varieties of apples were shipped to a Canadian apple - processing factory, and the products returned to New Zeeland, and test marketed In Palmerston North. This city was chosen because it was sufficiently large, and yet sufficiently isolated for the popularity of the new products to be evaluated. A full sale within a short time confirmed the board’s choice. After the test marketing, preliminary plans and specifications for factory equipment were drawn up in Canada. Working drawings for a factory were developed by King and Dawson, of Wellington, architects to the board. Mr Atkinson, a world authority on fruit-juice processing, visited the new factory at Stoke recently. Although the manager, Mr F. j W. Porter, was absent through I illness, Mr Atkinson worked closely for several days with the acting-manager, and factory engineer, Mr G. Robertson. the Apple and Pear Board’s deputy-chairman, Mr. H. R. Sampson, and Mr Cubey. “The products I have seen here compare very favourably with our own in Canada, although we grow a special apple for fruit-juice processing,” Mr Atkinson said.