According to George Harter, Vice President of Marketing for CMI Orchards, CMI is helping retailers magnify category sales by offering a fourth tier of selling potential.
“Most retailers carry first, second and third tier items, which are the conventional core varieties, organic core varieties, and conventional branded apples respectively,” he said. “The retailers that are really benefiting from large profits in their apple category recognize the value in adding a fourth tier of selling to drive interest and excitement by offering another vehicle for incremental sales: branded organic apples.”
The company grows and markets seven of the top twelve selling branded apples in the United States, Harter said, including Ambrosia, Jazz™, Envy™, Kanzi®, KIKU®, Pacific Rose™ and Smitten® apples. “Of these rock star conventional branded apples, CMI has really set ourselves apart by investing in branded organics,” he said. “We can deliver organic Ambrosia, KIKU®, Kanzi®, Envy® and Smitten®, providing retailers with some great options for leveraging the power of higher value apples on the shelf.”
According to Harter, Nielsen data shows organic Ambrosia is the number one selling branded organic apple, performing 95 percent higher in sales dollars than the second ranked branded organic apple. “Of the five top selling branded organic apples, CMI carries three: Ambrosia, Kanzi® and Jazz™ apples.” He added that organic Ambrosia had stronger sales performance than the second and third top performers combined.
Robb Myers, Director of Domestic Sales for CMI Orchards, said that CMI grows about a quarter of the organic Washington State apple crop. “That’s more than 100 million pounds annually. We’ve reached significant volume where we are close to being able to supply customers year-round with organics, supplemented by import organic apples in the summer,” he said. Myers went on to add that CMI is looking ot offer retailers ways to segregate this growth category further with branded organics.
“Put it this way,” Myers said, “You can essentially amplify your set price points considerably with each tier, resulting in more sales for your stores. If you’re offering only three tiers in your apple category, you’re missing a huge opportunity to capture dollars with branded organics.”
For more information:
Danelle Huber
CMI Orchards
Ph: +1 (509) 888-7769
danelleh@cmiorchards.com
www.cmiorchards.com