News : A Note on SweeTango

The SweeTango® Apple – Coming this Fall!

The SweeTango® apple is another outstanding apple from the University of Minnesota breeding program. I’ve been going all over the country and the world for 30 years, searching for new varieties of apples that will thrill consumers. And this apple, developed in our own back yard by the University of Minnesota breeding program, is the real deal. Weather and the vagaries of horticulture permitting, consumers in selected markets in the US and Canada can enjoy the SweeTango® apple this fall.

When I first met this variety in 2002, it was known as MN#1914, one of hundreds of new varieties the UofM breeding program develops, trying to find the best growing and eating characteristics. MN#1914 still has a long way to go -- a new apple can be promising but not turn out to grow well or last long or have that spark that delights consumers. But we hope this apple will more than fulfill its promise.

The University’s apple breeding program is one of the gems of this state, a tremendous boon to agriculture. To ensure the quality of its SweeTango apple for consumers, the University of Minnesota decided it wanted to be more strategic with its release and distribution. Consumers need to be able to count on an apple. They need to know it tastes great whether it’s grown in Minnesota or New York and whether they buy it now or next month.

And the University wanted a strong marketing partner – somebody who can let consumers know this new apple is out there and inspire them to try it. I’m happy to say we were chosen, in a competitive process, in 2005 to market and distribute the apple. We tested the SweeTango apple with consumers, we helped name it, and we’re doing our best to make sure people around the state and across the country know about and try this new apple.

We’re competing with junk food. To get a kid or an adult to reach for an apple instead of a candy bar, that apple needs to be appealing and surprising and a delight to eat. With the obesity epidemic, growing a great apple and letting people know it’s available is a health benefit for all of us.

I’m a second-generation Minnesota apple grower. I watched my dad, Gilbert, plant our orchard on the bluffs above Lake Pepin, and I’ve followed in his footsteps to add more trees and more varieties. I want our University of Minnesota apple breeding program to continue its success, which helps us succeed as growers. Most Minnesota growers have planted this new variety, so you’ll be able to find the apples at orchards and farmers markets and in stores. And those apples! I’ve seen the smiles on people’s faces when they’ve tasted a slice of a SweeTango apple I’ve just cut for them. Those smiles say we’ve got another wonderful apple for you.

Dennis Courtier, President, Pepin Heights Orchard