Since this week, harvesting of the Coryphée apple, developed by Belgian breeder Zouk, has begun. Around 45 hectares of this apple, which was nominated last year for the Product Made in Limburg award, are now in production. "The new season is looking very good. At the Bangels family's farm, one of the three growers of this variety, we are definitely heading towards about 80 tons per hectare," says Laura Nicolai of the breeder, a sister company of Boomkwekerij Johan Nicolai.
© Zouk
Zouk started developing the Coryphée variety in 2012, which stood out in trials for its strong qualities such as productivity, colour, and size. The apple was selected from thousands of crosses and inherited robust resistance to scab and mildew from one of its parents. The variety is now being grown by the Bangels brothers from Gingelom, Neven Fruits from Waremme, and Wolcarius from Markegem. There, the orchards are already at full maturity, with the youngest trees now entering their third year of production.
"So this year we are again very positive about the new crop," Laura continues. "It is an extremely productive variety, but the size is also good. Because of its high productivity, we always need to be careful with thinning, otherwise the fruit quickly becomes too large. Generally, though, we work with sizes 75–80, which is perfect for retail shelves. By the end of the week, the first apples will appear at Coryphée's exclusive distributor in Belgium, Colruyt. Thanks to its long shelf life, Coryphée will remain available in stores until around June."
© Zouk
Opportunities
At the moment, distribution is limited to Colruyt. However, Laura sees potential for expansion in both growers and distributors. "Coryphée started as a licensed variety. In Belgium, Colruyt has exclusive rights to sell it, and we are very pleased with that, but on 1 January 2027, this exclusivity will end. At that point, it will become a free variety again, and we are already seeing interest from both growers and traders to start working with it."
"This interest is not limited to Belgium; it is also proving popular beyond the country's borders," Laura adds. "Coryphée is ideally suited to the northern European climate and delivers a rich harvest every year. It also has strong resistance to the most common fruit-growing diseases, which means far less spraying is needed. This makes it a highly eco-friendly, sustainable apple that can also be grown perfectly organically. And, importantly, it is truly an apple for our region. The fine balance between sweet and sour is reminiscent of Elstar or Jonagold. There are already some small-scale plantings in France, the UK, and Scandinavia, among others, but we see great opportunities to further promote the variety."
© Zouk
For more information:
Laura Nicolai
Zouk
Lichtenberglaan 2050
3800 Sint-Truiden, Belgium
Tel: +32 11 70 20 00
[email protected]
www.nicolai.be