WENATCHEE, Wash. – Grow back to your roots and bring consumers closer to organic apples this season. Earth Day on April 22nd invites promotional opportunities within the organic category to grow share of organic apples.
Stemilt’s BB #:113654 marketing director, Brianna Shales, shares recent organic data and Stemilt resources to help retailers sell organic apples in the first months of spring.
“Looking at the past four seasons in March and April only, organic apples made up 12.2% of apple volumes and 16.9% of dollars on average in the U.S.,” says Shales. “There’s still work to be done, and if you’ve struggled with success in the organic section, this is the year to change that story and really put the spotlight on organics. We’re here to help, with display bins, ad inspiration and materials at the point of sale. Now is the time to make organic apples appealing to consumers.”
From eye-catching organic displays to fun, kid-sized fruit, Stemilt is positioned to help retailers find success with Stemilt Artisan Organics apples. A part of making organic apples appealing to consumers comes from offering multiple apple flavors to meet the demands of consumers with different taste preferences. Success in the organic category comes down to the 4Ps of marketing: product, price, placement and promotion.
“Together we can create fun, welcoming promotions to help boost those organic sales,” says Shales. “Instead of single variety ads this year, switch to multi-variety promotions that will help elevate the category as a whole. There are three items retailers can utilize with Stemilt to build a robust promotion for organic apples, including the 5lb. Apple Lover’s bag, Lil Snappers kid-size fruit and the Artisan Organics EZ Band sustainable 4 count package that is easy to stock, shop and ensures retailers get organic ring at the register.”
A 2024 Nielsen IQ survey of 1,400 primary shoppers of organics found that 67% of people purchased organic apples with Gen Z and Millennials among the top purchasing groups. Organic buyers make more frequent apple purchases with 81% buying at least every two weeks. Lower prices was the top motivator for buying more organic apples for both non-organic apple purchases and organic apple purchases.
“This consumer data highlights the opportunity to offer value through promotions on organic apples,” said Shales. “Consumers want to purchase organics, but inflation has impacted their apple purchases. The current organic crop presents a win-win situation for retailers – grow organic apple dollars through volume and deliver on the shopper’s desire for a good deal on organic apples.”
When it comes to pricing, retailers can get behind the growth in volume because organic premiums don’t have to be as high. Last year, organic price margins had to be kept wide due to lower supply. Uplifting the category and encouraging purchases can be done with a slight shift in price point this year.
“It only takes a 30-cent premium over conventional apples to grow those dollars and keep the category compelling to drive consumers closer to organics,” says Shales. “There’s lots of great quality fruit out there and people looking for healthy choices leading up to Earth Day.”
About Stemilt
Stemilt is a family-owned grower, packer, and shipper of tree fruit. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt’s mission is to cultivate people and delight consumers with its World Famous Fruits. Stemilt is a leader in sweet cherries and organic tree fruits, and a key supplier of apples and pears. The company stewards an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible business through its Responsible Choice® program, which has been in place since 1989. For more information about Stemilt, visit www.stemilt.com.
Contact Information:
Brianna Shales
Brianna.shales@stemilt.com
Marketing Director
