Growers are planning a major planting and promotional programme as they attempt to make Cameo a mainstream apple variety.

Market research had shown consumers were unaware of Cameo as a variety and did not know why they should buy it over other apples, according to Adrian Barlow, chief executive of English Apples & Pears.

Currently 25 UK growers produce some 1,380 tonnes of Cameo annually out of the EU’s total of 7,879 tonnes. However, growers now hoped to increase plantings to 10,000 tonnes in the UK alone within a decade, said Barlow.

Rights holder Cameo Europe has appointed international PR agency RSCG to draw up an integrated European marketing campaign to promote the variety. This will include consumer PR highlighting that Cameo has a higher antioxidant content than any other widely available variety.

The current Cameo logo is also being tweaked to incorporate colours that more clearly transmit the freshness of the fruit.

Cameo is a crunchy and juicy apple sold in relatively small volumes in supermarkets during the European season of November to April. It is pitched between Gala and Pink Lady at the premium end of the apple market and has achieved high scores in taste tests.

Growers had decided to boost production and promotion of the variety to avoid it becoming subsumed by newer varieties such as Kanzi and Jazz, said Barlow.

“There will be a lot more competition from new varieties in the future,” he claimed. “We have no option but to make Cameo a bigger variety and a stronger brand.”

Retailers also needed to be convinced to import southern hemisphere Cameo out of the European season to ensure 12-month availability of the fruit, Barlow added.

Cameo was most likely to compete for shelf space with varieties that had dwindled in popularity in recent years, such as Red Delicious and Granny Smith, Barlow claimed.