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Abstract
Brands have largely been absent for fresh produce products; however, apples are one
notable exception whereby varieties partially take the place of brands. Studying the role of
brands in this market is particularly interesting given the introduction of several patented or socalled
managed apple varieties. We develop an experiment to examine consumer response to a
suite of apple varieties; treatments employ different branding strategies using different names for
a new managed variety included in the experiment. Results suggest that the name does influence
consumer valuation of the new variety and existing managed varieties, but has little impact on
markets for traditional apple varieties.