Montague is harvesting a larger Ambrosia apple crop compared to last season, with over 275,500kg forecast to be packed by the Australin fresh produce business.
Montague is proud to manage over 100,000 trees growing, across almost 40 hectares of land, on 15 different sites across Australia, including Yarra Valley (Vic), Batlow (NSW), Adelaide Hills (SA), Stanthorpe (Qld) and Tamar and Huon Valley (Tas).
Rowan Little, Chief Innovation Officer at Montague says the 2023/24 growing season featured high rainfall and humidity across much of the growing regions, creating some management issues for growers.
“However, the warm, and mostly dry late summer period was ideal for pollination and has assisted in the development of a larger crop of great eating fruit,” he says.
The Ambrosia apple is the most fragrant in the Montague range. Consumer sentiment for this apple is strong with the light crunch and aroma being of great appeal to a wide variety of people.
“Last year, we received a lot of positive feedback from consumers about Ambrosia low acidity,” says Angela Bracken, Senior Marketing Manager at Montague.
“These apples were particularly enjoyed as a fresh and healthy snack or sliced and paired with cheese. And we were excited to see our brand ambassador, Alice Zaslavsky release a ‘snackification’ tip – citing Ambrosia with cheese – one of her most popular posts for 2023! ‘Snackification’ is a huge trend with the rise of snacking, particularly in Gen Z and those seeking a mood booster,” she says.
Ambrosia apples are 100% hand-picked and grown to strict specifications to guarantee the fruit meets brand standards, ensuring people can enjoy consistent, quality produce. The apples will be available at selected Woolworths, Coles, Costco and green grocers.