February 20, 2025 WENATCHEE, Wash. – Stemilt BB #:113654 announces at the halfway point in the apple crop that two varieties have been set for success since the start of the 2024 season.
With Cosmic Crisp and Pink Lady making a smooth transition from last year’s crop to this year’s, Stemilt sees this early season momentum as an opportunity for promotion to boost apple category volume and sales moving towards the finish line of this year’s season.
“We’re looking at this year’s crop like a marathon race,” says Stemilt’s Marketing Director, Brianna Shales. “We’ve been singing the tune that Honeycrisp is down in volume industry wide and see this as an opportunity where other varieties can rise to the occasion. Cosmic Crisp and Pink Lady both experienced exceptional growing conditions, which lent to an effortless shift in one crop to the next boosting volume and movement for the two apples specifically.”
Stemilt views 2025 as the year of the Cosmic Crisp. The variety is up 70% year-over-year as an industry according to the 2024 December national storage report. It’s quickly risen in popularity amongst consumers as the #6 apple in the U.S. and has become more readily available for year-round supply in the produce department. It can be offered as another red apple with high crunch characteristics that consumers are looking for.
To help it stand out, Stemilt has a new rocket display to go alongside Cosmic Crisp apples.
“Cosmic Crisp is one of those apples that consistently delivers on its brand promise to be the dream apple with perfect flavor,” said Shales.
“Not only is it the #6 U.S. apple, but it’s also the #1 club apple in the U.S. Honeycrisp has long been a consumer favorite, and with it being down 32% in volume across the industry, there needs to be another crisp, sweet apple to offer. Cosmic Crisp, with Honeycrisp and Enterprise apple parentage, can stand out as the crunch successor consumers are looking for with our new rocket display to create an ‘out of this world’ display!”
When consumers look for a tart apple in the category, Pink Lady stands out with great quality and color. Stemilt has a vintage Pink Lady crop similar to the 2022 crop where it made up 7% of category volumes and was the #6 apple in the Western region. Last year, it made up 5% of apple volumes and 5.2% of apple sales in this area. Going into 2025, retailers were well aligned on Pink Lady which helped it keep space at retail and boosted momentum at the start of the season.
“We see Pink Lady and Cosmic Crisp being the ultimate duo that can bring volume and velocity to the category,” said Shales. “On one shelf, you can offer a vibrantly pink, tart apple, and on another, a bold red, crisp apple. Through promotion and multi-variety ads, these two varieties have real potential to make an impact in the category throughout the season and to its end.”
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:
Brianna Shales
Marketing Director
Stemilt Growers
