Supermarket group Spar has joined Austrian fruit trader Frutura to test whether historic apple varieties can be grown successfully for wider sale. Their trial orchard, a farm where fruit trees grow, contains 2,150 trees in Styria. The first harvest has been picked and is heading to markets in Vienna for sales trials. If the project succeeds, Spar hopes to offer the apples across the region.
The first varieties being tested are Ilzer Rose and Falchs Gulderling. Ilzer Rose dates from 1840 and comes from Styria, while Falchs Gulderling was identified in South Tyrol in the 1870s. According to Spar Austria deputy chair Markus Kaser, shoppers are showing renewed interest in where food comes from, its varieties and its taste. However, the project is not simply about bringing back part of Austria’s farming history: it will test how these apples perform under modern growing conditions.
About 7,500 apple varieties are grown today, yet supermarkets generally stock only three to five. Modern varieties have been developed for their flavour, large harvests, bright colours and resistance to pests, diseases and farming chemicals. The trials will explore whether the older varieties can also succeed in commercial farming.
