Australia has completed its Bravo® apple harvest for the 2022 season after starting back in April; packing commenced in May.
Bravo apples are grown across the Australian mainland: Stanthorpe in Queensland, Orange & Batlow in New South Wales, the Yarra Valley, Goulburn Valley & Mornington Peninsula in Victoria, Adelaide Hills in South Australia, Manjimup, Donnybrook/Kirup, and Perth Hills in Western Australia.
“The growing conditions varied this season,” said Rebecca Blackman. “There were some regions which had extensive rain on the east coast and the west coast there was several days which reached over 40 degrees consecutively. This year approximately 30% more Bravo apples were harvested than last year; this came from mature trees and new plantings coming online.”
Bravo® is exported to Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong & Dubai and is also a popular apple on the Australian domestic market; they are available in independent and chain stores nationally.
In 1992, successful apple breeder John Cripps (creator of the Pink Lady) crossed the popular Cripps Red and Royal Gala apple varieties. Over the next 20 years, the resulting trees and fruit were cultivated, tested, and developed. In 2014 the variety was released for trials in Australian orchards, and in 2016, the first Bravo® apples went into Australian retail.
Bravo is one of the highest-ranking apples on the fabled Brix test and has a delicate yet firm flesh that has gained a cult following across Australian foodies and families alike.