Exports of the Western Australian bred Bravo apple have defied market trends and will more than double this season, on the back of strong market growth last year.
The latest shipment of the striking Bravo will leave Fremantle port this week, where local apples have been exported for more than 85 years.
The Bravo continues to grow in popularity with an estimated 450 per cent increase in global exports this year to Hong Kong, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates.
This is despite export market difficulties due to the impact of the COVID pandemic, demonstrating the resilience of the industry and the success of locally-driven global marketing campaigns.
More than 6,000 tonnes of Bravo apples are expected to be harvested across Australia this season, up 30 per cent on 2021. This is the seventh harvest of the variety, which was bred and developed at the State’s Stoneville and Manjimup research stations over 20 years.
The Bravo is the latest apple to be released from the Cripps Pink and Cripps Red breeding line, developed by a team including the late John Cripps AO, who passed away recently.
Manjimup is home to the Australian ³Ô¹ÏÍøÕ¾ Apple Breeding Program, where more than 50,000 seedlings are in the ground from which new unique and tasty varieties will be developed to suit local growing conditions, enabling growers and industry to prosper.
Local supplies of Bravo apples continue to build, with 2,400 tonnes expected to be harvested this season in the Perth Hills, Donnybrook and Manjimup, up about 46 per cent on 2021.
As stated by Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
“Bravo has continued to build on the legacy of respected apple breeder, the late John Cripps AO, with a high-performance variety that not only looks appealing and tastes great, but also yields well under Australian conditions.
“Innovative strategies are being used to market Bravo apples around the world, including partnering with influencers, in-store tasting, digital promotion and the use of a QR code on fruit stickers to direct consumers to more information online.
“That work is paying off – Bravos are bucking market trends and exports are soaring despite major global supply chain challenges.
“Bravo apples are a true Western Australian success story and we’re proud to continue backing our growers with this one-of-a-kind fruit.”
