Magic under pressure: New Aussie apple variety impresses in tough debut season

Even a scorching, drought-struck season couldn’t wilt the debut of Sunrise Magic—a new apple brand making a case for keeping cool under pressure. Despite some of the harshest growing conditions the Southern Hemisphere has seen in recent memory, Fruit Australia Group’s new late-season variety held its ground and is already winning over retailers and international buyers.

Harvested in mid-March and packed in late September, Sunrise Magic delivers standout storage performance, high sweetness, and crisp texture, the firm states in a release. Fruit Australia partner N&A Group featured samples at its Asia Fruit Logistica booth in Hong Kong, receiving what the company labeled as an ”overwhelmingly positive response.”

N&A Group’s Marketing Manager Hannah Cathels attributes the variety’s resilience to its natural robustness, which makes it “well-suited to the Australian growing climate.”

“The main impact for this season was reduced intensity in color as we were not getting the cool overnight temperatures needed to develop high color,” she tells FreshFruitPortal.com. “We used netting and irrigation as well as soil and tree monitoring to assess the impact of the weather conditions and found that Sunrise Magic's characteristics held well.”

Fruit Australia holds the exclusive Australian license for the variety, a product of collaboration between Adelaide Hills Fresh, the aforementioned N&A Group, and 9 Mile Fresh. The group says the cultivar is well-aligned with its strategy for innovation and diversification.

“With its standout quality, strong consumer appeal, and excellent shelf-life, we believe Sunrise Magic has the potential to reinvigorate what many see as a maturing apple category,” says James Walters of Fruit Australia.

Crisp performance growing momentum

Many other varieties have a much shorter shelf-life, Cathels explains, meaning they must be picked and marketed during the peak of apple season, when shelves tend to be more saturated. 

“We pick Sunrise Magic towards the end of the season here, and it stores really well, so our supply window will be late-season,” she states. “We are also finding that the sugars develop better in storage, and the shelf-life is amazing, which really sets this apple apart from its competitors.”

Sunrise Magic was soft-launched in late September through wholesale markets in New South Wales and Victoria. According to Fruit Australia, premium retailers have responded positively, citing the apple’s flavor and texture as standout qualities. Cathels echoes that feedback. 

“Consumers really respond to the eating quality of the fruit. They love the sweet flavor profile and crisp texture of Sunrise Magic apples,” she says. “From a retailer's perspective, the window of opportunity to market this apple later in the season, without affecting eating quality, really carves out a niche for Sunrise Magic in the Australian market.”

Planting the seeds for expansion

Initial 2025 volumes totaled 40 tons, but expansion is already underway. 

“We forecast that we will triple production volumes in the next two years,” Cathels adds. “The sales performance in the Australian market and continued feedback from retailers and consumers will influence the scale of production.”

As the Fruit Australia Group continues to build awareness through retail and export channels, Cathels says strong branding and quality consistency will be key. 

“We know that once Sunrise Magic apples are in the consumer's hand, they're going to have a good experience with the brand, which will lead to repeat purchase behavior,” she says.