Today’s retailers are more demanding of producers than they’ve ever been, and that’s because their strategic thinking starts with satisfying the consumer, says Peter Austin, Canadian sales director for B.C. Tree Fruits, Ltd., in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. “The consumer is all important,” Austin explained during the B.C. Fruit Growers’ Horticultural Forum, which was held in Penticton last fall. When retailers buy apples, for example, they want size 80 to 113, full red color, no defects, guaranteed internal condition, and good shelf life. They want to order and pay via the Internet and have the fruit arrive on time at […]