Fresh produce group Montague will add a splash of colour to the apple range this Autumn as it officially launches its newest branded apple – yello® – nationally.

The yellow-skinned Shinano Gold variety which will be marketed as yello is a Golden Delicious/Shenshu which was cross bred at Japan’s Nagano Research Centre in 1983. It is characterised by its bright yellow skin, crisp flesh and a high level of natural sugars.

Montague will grow, pack and market yello in Australia as sub-licensees of worldwide master licensees and Italian fruit growers’ associations VOG and VIP under an agreement signed at the recent FruitLogistica in Berlin. VOG and VIP own the brand with the prefecture of Nagano.

It joins a stable of well-known branded apples managed by Montague in Australia including Jazz™, Envy™, Eve™, Smitten®, Ambrosia and Kissabel®.

Shinano Gold has been grown in Australia by Montague since 2011 with encouraging testing results. Testing in Asia, South Africa and the United States have also proved to be positive.

Montague director Scott Montague said with its slightly exotic and tropical aroma, this new apple has all the characteristics that consumers look for in an eating apple.

“Retailers will appreciate that yello displays excellent shelf life and impressively constant quality,” Scott said.

Montague has 8,600 Shinano Gold trees over three hectares.

General Manager Business Development Rowan Little said in an interview with online news site Fresh Plaza this week that the group planned to increase plantings to 25ha within five years.

“We are happy to talk to growers who have the right experience and may be interested in growing Yello®,” Rowan said.

Rowan said to get the full colour, fruit needed to be left on the tree longer, required hand thinning and careful handling through the supply chain.

Australian consumers can expect to see yello on their shelves from Easter, with availability expected to last through the autumn months until around June. The apple has been selectively available thus far, but is now open to all retailers.