WENATCHEE, WA - With the 4th of July right around the corner, as well as National Rainier Cherry Day on the 11th, summertime cherry promotions are set to kick off. Stemilt wants to spread the cherry love, as the company recommends that retailers start looking into cherry promotions for upcoming summer holidays.
“The color is stunning on Rainiers this season with great size and that classic, overwhelming sweetness that shoppers seek out,” said Roger Pepperl, Marketing Director. “It’s important that retailers start pulling Rainiers now and plan for promotions in late June and early July. This year, retailers can run their entire cherry line-up on ad for the big July 4th promotion. Following that ad with a big feature on Rainier cherries for their special day will entice shoppers to purchase, and ring in the dollars for your department.”
The company noted that it has strong volumes of Rainier cherries this season, with conventional Rainiers even with last year’s volume and organic Rainiers up 50 percent. Organic Rainier cherries are a niche item, but one that Stemilt has grown with purpose for decades. According to Pepperl, Rainier size and quality—for both conventional and organic fruit—is exceptional this season.
“Rainiers are a high-ring item, and increasing sales velocity during the peak weeks through promotions is a great way to bring dollars and growth to your category,” said Pepperl. “Rainiers have a short season, and that makes every week of sales important at retail. Now is the time to plan for big promotions on Stemilt’s Rainier cherries, and as you do, be sure to take advantage of this cherry’s story to create excitement with your shoppers around its availability and superior qualities.”
Decades ago, Stemilt led the industry in creating a market for Rainier cherries. At the time, Rainiers were primarily pollinators for Bing cherries, but emerging new self-pollinating dark-sweet cherries reduced that need. Stemilt founder Tom Mathison saw the potential for a second, and very sweet, cherry SKU and began farming Rainiers on a large-scale. Today, West Mathison, Stemilt President and Tom’s grandson, guides the company in growing large, sweet, and dessert-flavored Rainier cherries.
"Our history with growing entire orchards of Rainier cherries translated to experience and a great understanding of how to grow high-quality Rainiers today,” said Pepperl. “Rainier is a delicate variety that needs extra care before, during, and after harvest. At Stemilt’s we work hard to do all of the little things right to ensure only ‘world famous’ Rainiers make it to your stores.”
A Stemilt Fruit Tracker™ analysis of Nielsen scan data during the past three cherry seasons showed that Rainier cherries accounted, on average, for nearly 13.5 percent of cherry category sales in the U.S. during their three-week peak in late June to mid-July.
“The organic category is booming, and fruits and vegetables are leading that growth,” said Pepperl. “Offering Artisan Organics™ Rainier cherries is a great way to build your organic category with a premium, flavorful offering that will have shoppers coming back for more.
Stemilt has a bevy of offerings for retailers looking to extend their Rainier cherry promotions. The company has pop-up display bins with Rainiers featured on one side. Retailers can use bins to drive impulse purchases throughout the cherry season, and the Rainier side during National Rainier Cherry Day celebrations. Stemilt also has retailer toolkits and POS signage to help promote the special variety in-store and through digital communications. Stemilt packs Rainier cherries in several pouch bag and clamshell packaging options.
Stemilt’s Rainier cherries are in season for two months and, according to a press release, promotable through the weeks of June 25, July 2nd, and July 9th.
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