Duration and Setting
1 hour in the classroom

Summary
In this activity students compare apple varieties, survey consumer preferences with surveys and use their data to determine market trends. Based on consumer and producer needs, students develop marketing plans to increase the profitability of their orchard or apple variety.

Background notes for teachers
Breeders consider the needs and wants of growers and consumers when they develop new apples. They look for particular qualities in existing apple varieties and 'tweak' them by crossing them with other apple varieties to make new varieties. Consumer considerations include: taste, colour, nutritional value and crispiness. Growers' considerations include pest-resistance, climate suitability and shelf/cool storage life. By meeting these needs and wants with tasty, easy-to-grow apple varieties, breeders can increase profits in the apple industry. Profits can be further increased with clever marketing, to develop consumer interest in the apple as a product.

Developing new varieties of apples is an example of how science integrates with other industries to meet consumer and producers' needs and wants. Orchardists' work involves more than growing and picking fruit. To remain profitable they must keep up with market trends by reading industry journals and articles in order to better meet market needs.

Useful terms
Strategic marketing: People in charge of selling the product research the needs and wants of consumers, and then target specific groups of people (for example, 25—42 year olds, women, retirees) in their advertising to increase their profit.

Product quality controls: Products that don't meet certain criteria (for example, due to damage or size) are put aside and not sold to mainstream retailers. Instead, they may be sold as 'seconds' from other outlets.

Materials
·  3—4 apples each of five commercially available apples - enough for students to sample all of the apples. (Keep the receipt or record the price/kg at time of purchase.)
·  Knife, chopping boards, plates, copies of the worksheet.

next» The Economics of Apples—Part 2