Appletree started relatively late in terms of most kitesurfing brands. By 2016 most brands had been in the industry for over a decade. By this point the kite surfboard market was pretty established. In terms of foiling it was right near the beginning. Kite foiling was happening but surf foiling and winging were not a thing.
The brand was started by Wieger and Jorrit Burma in a shed on their parents apple tree farm. Hence the name. A decade of shaping boards for themselves and their friends allowed them to hone their shapes. The breakthrough came when they discovered a new foam.
50k closed cell foam is a proprietary foam only used by Appletree. It has many benefits which make great boards - its light, flexible, strong, and waterproof. Being waterproof means that dings do not need to be fixed immediately and the board doesnt absorb water. There were downsides initially too - the foam is hard to work with. It cannot be shaped by hand or standard CNC machines. The brothers worked to develop their own machines and get production going.
Their original production facility in the Netherlands was soon too small causing them to start looking for somewhere to expand. They found a place in Portugal. Now they have just moved to a larger premises in Portugal.
We started seeing Appletree boards under the feet of some well known riders like Ozone rider Paulino Perreira who was regularly podiuming on the strapless freestyle tour. When other riders were breaking boards regularly learning strapless freestyle tricks, Paulino's boards were solid. Then South Africa based Luke McGillewie started riding them. Before you knew it they were popping up everywhere.
After talking with Wieger and the team at Appletree, and getting ourselves some boards, we were sold. We loved the feel. The quality and the finish are second to none.
Appletree make foil boards as well as surfboards. Their range has grown over the last couple years as the sports have developed and now features the original mini kite foil board, as well as a prone foil model, and a couple of wing boards. The design of these is modern, and the construction and finish are second to none.
