Apple Exclusivity

Many people have heard of “club” or “managed” varieties of apples. These are varieties that are produced and marketed in controlled quantities exclusively by growers and marketers who are part of the “club”. For example, Jazz, Pacific Rose, SweeTango, and Kiku Fuji are all managed varieties. There has been a lot of controversy in recent years over this topic. Many growers think that it is unfair for a specific cultivar to be limited to an exclusive club. The issue has also led to some confusion in the industry. For example, in some cases, like with the Kiku Fuji, only the name is trademarked with exclusive marketing rights. Therefore, anybody could grow the variety but only people with the marketing rights can sell it as Kiku Fuji.

Today, I read about a different kind of exclusivity. A group called New York Apple Growers; LLC has formed and will commercialize apple varieties developed by Cornell University. Under the plan, new varieties, whose development is supported by New York tax payers, will be exclusively grown/marketed by New York producers. Will we eventually have state specific varieties for other apple growing states like Pennsylvania, Washington, and Michigan? Is this a good thing for growers and/or consumers? Only time will tell.