Saint Paul, Minn. — Apple season is in full swing, and food co-ops nationwide are celebrating the harvest by spotlighting some of their favorite locally grown varieties. National Co+op Grocers (NCG) is highlighting where apple lovers can find these local varieties and sharing tips for picking the best apple this season.
One of the biggest differentiators of food co-ops from traditional grocery stores is their focus on locally grown produce. According to NCG’s 2025 Impact Report, the average food co-op purchases from 187 local suppliers, four and a half times as many as conventional grocers (41 farms on average). Local products account for 23% of the average food co-op's sales, compared with just 2% at conventional grocery stores.
That local sourcing keeps profits circulating within the community rather than flowing to a distant corporate headquarters, supporting the farms and orchards that grow the produce co-op shoppers buy.
Buying local also gives shoppers access to specialty varietals unavailable anywhere else. As apple season ramps up, co-ops and growers around the country shared the varieties they're most excited about this year.
West Coast
“Starting in 2024, we've sourced almost all our local apples from the F.E.E.D. Co-op, a worker- and farmer-owned food hub of over 60 North Bay farms in California,” said Fred Avila, produce manager at Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op (SAC). “They work with Gold Ridge Organic Farms and Devoto Gardens & Orchards (both in Sebastopol, Calif.) to source a plethora of local heirloom apples.”
The SAC co-op just received their first shipment of locally grown apples. Here are some heirloom varieties that they are looking forward to, noting that many are limited and may only be available for a week or two:
- Strawberry Parfait: One of the earliest in the season apples available, this variety is a fragrant, tart apple with brilliant red-and-white skin and a pink-streaked white flesh.
- Gravenstein: Originally discovered in 1669 in South Denmark and first brought to the U.S. in the early 19th century. A ripe Gravenstein is orange with dark stripes. The fruit is tart, very flavorful and perfect for cooking.
- Pink Pearl: This varietal is native to California with a copper-rose skin and a bright pink flesh. This apple is crisp, has tart flavor and is good for baking and eating.
- Rubinette: Originally developed in Switzerland in 1964, this variety is a cross between a Cox's Orange Pippin and a Golden Delicious. This is a great eating apple with a sweet, sharp and honey-like flavor.
Midwest
Co-op Partners Warehouse, a cooperatively owned, certified organic wholesale distributer that services co-ops throughout the Midwest, including Minneapolis-based Wedge Community Co-ops, works directly with Whistling Well Farm in Hastings, Minn. The team recently toured the farm with owner Charlie Johnson and his son Chad. This family has been growing apples since 1980 with 18,000 trees on 42 acres, and the Wedge Co-op was one of their first customers.
“In addition to learning about grafting, pruning and pollination, the team loved seeing their care for bees and commitment to sustainability,” said Mackenzie Burke, purchasing manager at Co-op Partners Warehouse.
“While Honeycrisp is our most popular selling apple, we expect it to see some stiff competition from some of the newer varieties being released, such as First Kiss and SweeTango,” said Johnson.
- First Kiss: Recently developed by the University of Minnesota, First Kiss is a premium early season variety and is a cross between Honeycrisp and an Arkansas variety named AA44. It is juicy and crisp with a light tart flavor. First Kiss ripens very early, usually harvested in mid- to late-August and is available late into the fall.
- SweeTango: Another University of Minnesota-developed varietal that is a cross between Honeycrisp and Zestar. This apple has a sweet-tart flavor with a hint of honey, and a crisp, juicy and crunchy bite. It is usually harvested late August/early September and stores well into November.
- Haralson: Haralson apples are a cold-hardy, crisp and tart heirloom variety. It was introduced by the University of Minnesota in 1922. To this day, Haralson is by far the most popular apple for baking, featuring a firm, juicy texture. It is a top choice for pies because the slices hold their firm taste under heat without turning to mush. Haralson ripens around late September to October and will store well through the winter under refrigeration.
- Kudos: Recently released by the University of Minnesota, Kudos is a cross between Honeycrisp and Zestar, making it a sister to SweeTango. This apple is excellent for fresh eating, desserts, salads and pies. Whistling Well Farms expects a good crop of these apples to be available in about two years.
Wedge Community Co-op currently has First Kiss and SweeTango in stores as a Minnesota variety pack so shoppers can try both!
East Coast
Champlain Orchards in Shoreham, Vt., supplies many National Co-op Grocers New England co-ops with local apples. The orchard carries more than 150 varieties of Eco-Certified apples, so narrowing it down to a few of their favorites was a challenging task.
- EverCrisp: This is the varietal that Bill Suhr, Champlain Orchards’ owner, has been reaching for lately. It is a cross between Honeycrisp and Fuji, and it lives up to its name with an exceptionally crisp texture and plenty of sweetness.
- Ambrosia: For shoppers who enjoy the approachable sweetness of a lunchbox classic like Gala, the orchard recommends trying Ambrosia, with its juicy texture, notes of pear and low acidity.
- Northern Spy: This traditional New England heirloom is always eagerly anticipated for its classic sweet-tart flavor and exceptional performance in the bakery, where it has earned the affectionate nickname “Northern Pie.”
- Keepsake: This lesser-known variety is gaining popularity among the orchard’s co-op customers and is also a staff favorite. A parent of Honeycrisp, Keepsake offers a wonderfully rich, honeyed flavor, distinctive antiquing on the skin and exceptional storage quality. It is exactly the kind of apple that rewards shoppers for exploring beyond the familiar varieties.
Picking the Perfect Apple
“Color is not always the best indicator of quality since there are so many varieties of apples,” according to Joshua Crone, National Co-op Grocers Retail Programming Senior Manager of Produce & Floral. “Rather, look for apples with blemish-free skin and no bruising and a firm texture. An apple with the stem still attached is also a good sign, as it means it will stay fresher and crisper longer. Keep apples refrigerated in the crisper drawer for best quality and shelf life.”
“We are deeply grateful to National Co+op Grocers and its member co-ops for making room on their shelves for apples beyond the familiar handful of varieties” said Ben Rule, director of sales & marketing at Champlain Orchards. “That curiosity gives shoppers the opportunity to experience the extraordinary range of flavors, textures and histories apples can offer, while helping orchards like ours continue growing and preserving varieties that might otherwise disappear from the marketplace.”
About National Co+op Grocers
National Co+op Grocers (NCG), founded in 1999, is a business services cooperative for retail food co-ops located throughout the United States. NCG helps unify food co-ops in order to optimize operational and marketing resources, strengthen purchasing power and ultimately offer more value to natural food co-op owners and shoppers everywhere.
NCG's 169 community-owned food co-ops operate 241 stores in 40 states with combined annual sales of nearly $2.8 billion. NCG is a winner of the dotCoop Global Awards for Cooperative Excellence and a Certified B Corp. Learn more about NCG and find a map of member co-ops at grocery.coop.
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Media inquiries may be directed to meghan.flynn@ncg.coop.