WENATCHEE, WA – Good news for those patiently waiting for new-crop Ambrosia™ to become available: Ambrosia harvest is officially underway!
“CMI Orchards is anticipating a record Ambrosia harvest,” said George Harter, Vice President of Marketing. “We’re predicting an increase in Ambrosia production of close to 20 percent. That means more retail promotional opportunities for our customers in the coming year.”
Initial field reports documented the color and quality of CMI’s Ambrosia crop appear to be outstanding, which Harter knows from experience will drive sales for retail customers.
In a company press release, Senior Strategist Steve Lutz cited Nielsen data showing Ambrosia apple sales jumped this past season, elevating Ambrosia into the 8th best-selling apple position in the United States.
“There is still a lot of room to grow Ambrosia sales,” said Lutz, noting that Nielsen data shows Ambrosia were sold in over 15,000 supermarkets. “Ambrosia is selling great, but retail distribution is only at about 55 percent nationally. With our 20 percent jump in Ambrosia production this year, there will be more opportunities for retailers that have missed out to grab one of the hottest apples in the category.”
As expected of food for the gods, Ambrosia has incredibly strong loyalty among shoppers, which Lutz attributes to consumer’s instant loyalty and repeat buying after discovering Ambrosia, resulting in Ambrosia delivering a disproportionate share of category dollars relative to its volume.
Harter added that retailers should expect a big jump in sales of Ambrosia pouch bags this year after last season’s crop of jumbo apples. “Last year the Ambrosia apples were very large so we just didn’t have many apples in bagging sizes. This year we’ll have the crop to drive sales of Ambrosia pouch bags. In 2015 our Ambrosia pouch bag was the overall number 1 selling two- pound pouch bag in the U.S and the #2 selling bag of any apple variety or bag size. That’s an incredible sales story.”
With retailers expecting Ambrosia pouch bags to rebound in sales, the upcoming Ambrosia crop is sure to satisfy loyal customers and convert new customers, too.
