YAKIMA, WA - The sky’s the limit—that’s how the saying typically goes. But for an aptly named brand like Cosmic Crisp® apples, growth is measured on a galactic scale. A review of Nielsen sales data released by Proprietary Variety Management (PVM) shows Cosmic Crisp sales and volume soaring to new heights, which can only mean out-of-this-world opportunities for retailers.
“The sales data shows that both the retail community and consumers nationally are discovering Cosmic Crisp, and this incredible branded apple is driving category performance,” said Kathryn Grandy, Chief Marketing Officer of PVM. “The fact that Cosmic Crisp has jumped into the top 10 best-selling varieties in just three years is a remarkable level of success and proves the rapidly growing consumer demand for this apple.”
The PVM review spans the calendar period from September 2022–January 2023. According to the release, Cosmic Crisp saw the largest sales gains among the top 40 selling apple varieties in the United States, vaulting the variety into the top 10 best-selling U.S. varieties for the first time.
“When we examined the Nielsen U.S. supermarket data for the September 2022–January 2023 period, we are seeing an apple category that declined in volume by -3.3 percent with many of the major varieties—including Honeycrisp—losing volume. Cosmic Crisp has really been the brightest star in the category with a volume gain of 174 percent all while selling at a retail price second only to Honeycrisp among the top 10 varieties. Strong volume gains with above-average retail prices is a winning strategy for both retailers and our growers,” Grandy explained.
PVM also explored the variety’s growth by region, noting that Cosmic Crisp sales in the West moved the variety up to the #8 best-selling variety, while Cosmic Crisp sales at retail were #10 in the South, #11 in the Midwest, and #14 in the Northeast.
According to Grandy, the strong sales and volume gains for Cosmic Crisp came despite comparatively low promotional support in supermarkets.
“Cosmic Crisp production this year was up 28 percent, and the quality in storage is outstanding. Retailers across the U.S. are making Cosmic Crisp a staple in their apple category sales and promotional plans. There is no doubt that Cosmic Crisp apples are going to continue to be the brightest star in driving apple category growth,” Grandy concluded.
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