yello®: the new yellow apple.

A look behind the scenes at Hubert Steier

Discovered in Japan and grown in South Tyrol - Südtirol: this is yello®, our new premium apple. Our fruit growers have only been cultivating it since 2017, at altitudes exposed to the sun and with large temperature differences between day and night in the autumn. This combination of factors gives it its unmistakable deep yellow colour. And how about the exotic taste? Truly impressive! However, it is demanding to cultivate and poses a real challenge for me and other fruit growers. Want to know more? Let me tell you.

Winning yellow

Yellow or not yellow: that is the question... Who would have thought that this colour would become so important in my work! First, let me introduce myself: my name is Hubert Steier, I am married with two children and live on my farm in Velturno, in the beautiful Eisack Valley – Valle Isarco.

Two is better than one

I am not just a fruit grower, but also a mountain guide. Three hectares of cultivated land are not enough to live off, so I made a virtue of necessity and chose a second profession that I love.

Premium apples

On my farm I grow several varieties of grapes for white wine and various types of apples: envy™, SweeTango®, Cosmic Crisp® and recently also yello®. Cultivating this variety can be very challenging at times.

More than 20 years

I have plenty of technical knowledge: I studied agriculture at the Laimburg Professional School of Fruit Growing and have been running the family business, inherited from my father, for 20 years now. This obviously gave me the chance to experience apple cultivation in first person. But I learn something new every day, especially with yello®.

Prima donna

The yello® apple orchard is located at an altitude of 800 metres. I started the cultivation last year and the trees are already laden with fruit in this second year. I wonder what the harvest will be like next year. I am very enthusiastic about yello®, but sometimes I can’t help thinking that a prima donna would be less demanding.

The first challenge ...

In spring I have to carefully thin out the excess flowers on the branches. Otherwise, too much undersized fruit may grow one year and the next year’s yield may be lower or even zero. I want to avoid losing the harvest, or even just part of it, at all costs. My goal is to supply high-quality yello® apples every year!

... and another challenge

Harvesting yello® apples requires several picking stages, sometimes up to three. This is because the fruit only releases its unmistakable aroma when the skin has an intense yellow colour. It’s not easy to tell when the colour is perfect: I can manage to, especially on cloudy days. In sunlight every apple looks yellow to me. In bad weather they look green. You have to always keep an eye out!

Welcome to the Club!

You may be wondering why I chose to cultivate yello® in spite of the challenges. It’s simple: because this new apple convinced me in every way. yello® has a unique flavour that I would say is even better than Golden Delicious, one of the most popular apples.

yello® vs. Golden Delicious

yello® is more succulent than Golden Delicious. Its flesh is firmer and the yellow of the skin is much more intense. The flavour is balanced: sweet with a hint of acidity and notes of pear, lemon and exotic fruits such as pineapple. It also has a smooth, thin skin.

Fresh, fresher – yello®

Picking a yello® straight from the tree and feeling its wonderful crunchiness is what I love most. However, this variety stays fresh for days. Its storage life is truly amazing: even fruit that hits the shelves in spring looks as if it has just been picked.

Freetime

Yellow, green, yellow-green... these colours appear frequently in my work. Having two professions that are so different gives me the right variety: one activity allows me to take a break from the other and vice versa, striking a perfect balance. This means I can get the best from both!