WENATCHEE, WA - The summer just got a whole lot sweeter thanks to Stemilt’s new summertime promotion, Sweet Summer Fuji Fest, spotlighting Stemilt’s Fuji apples. Running now through August, Stemilt’s latest promotion encourages retailers to promote bulk Fuji, Lil Snappers® 3 lb kid-sized pouch bags or 5 lb Apple Lover pouch bags, while they’re hot.
“This fest is all about spotlighting the Fuji variety and its great flavor and qualities. Retailers can use our intent brands like Lil Snappers to encourage healthy kids snacks this summer or promote bulk and Apple Lover packs to reach the everyday apple shopper. The more creative you get tying this to the summer season, the better results you’ll have,” said Roger Pepperl, Marketing Director.
To help retailers promote, Stemilt created a toolkit with recipes and social posts tied to digital marketing efforts and is offering apple-themed pop-up display bins and POS signage that call out Fuji as “the apple for a sweet tooth.” Stemilt is also working with retailers on display contests and in-house dietitian teams.
This season, Stemilt is specifically spotlighting Aztec, a high-color strain of Fuji that the grower planted across its Washington orchards. The Aztec variety’s ability to color fully allows Stemilt to harvest it at optimal starch conditions, and as a result, delivers high-quality Fuji apples consistently year-round. Stemilt markets Aztec under the Fuji PLU (price look-up) code.
“Our very best Fuji apples, featuring the high-color and high-flavor Aztec strain, are available now. Fuji fits right into the summer fruit focus at retail because of its incredible juice and sweetness. Center your summertime apple promotions around Fuji and its flavor to keep your apple category strong," Pepperl continued. “We’re opening new CA (controlled atmosphere) rooms frequently for fresh packing runs. The color, sugars, and overall qualities of our late season Fuji apples are superb. This fruit is highly promotable and ready to delight shoppers.”
According to a press release, apples remain a key category in the produce department during the summer months, with a Stemilt Fruit Tracker™ analysis of Nielsen scan data from June through August 2017 finding apples contributing 4.4 percent of total produce sales on average in the U.S., including domestic and imported apples, and equates to nearly $2,500 per store per week on average. Fuji was the second top-selling apple during the summer season in 2017, accounting for 16.7 percent of apple category volume and 15.8 percent of category sales.
“While the attention shifts towards other produce items in the summer, the apple category is still important to focus promotions around each month,” said Pepperl. “Our Sweet Summer Fuji Fest allows you to heat up apple sales with a top performing variety and in a fun way that gets shoppers excited to enjoy this sweet fruit.”
For more information on the Sweet Fuji Summer Fest, Stemilt encourages retailers to contact their representative. And, for more on what’s sweetening up produce aisles this summer, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
