Apple holdings are up nationally compared to last year due to increased volumes across the growing regions. "Washington State had a small apple crop in 2022-23, and the 2023-24 crop is much larger," says Stemilt Growers LLC.'s Brianna Shales, adding that favorable growing conditions last spring and summer led to fruit in a range of sizes, colors, conditions, and eating qualities.
Shales also says that this season's better volumes have also brought on better flavors and Stemilt Growers has strategically grown its share of consumer-favorite apples such as Honeycrisp and Cosmic Crisp, both organically and conventionally. It also has good supplies of both Fuji and Pink Lady apples. "Organic apples are an area of opportunity at retail because supplies have grown over last year with new volumes coming into production and a rebound on apple volumes overall," Shales says.
Regional supply
Along with Washington State, which has the largest share of the remaining apple holdings due to its greater volume, Michigan and New York are also other key regional suppliers of apples.
As for demand on apples, it is steady and pricing is down considerably over last year due to those increased apple volumes. "This has created good opportunities at retail for promotions and offering good value during inflationary times to consumers. Retailers that have taken advantage of volume-based promotions on apples are seeing growth in their category," says Shales. "We've seen lots of great growth this season, and want to continue to duplicate those efforts since we have the fruit quality to support growth."
She also adds that this is a time of year when organic apple promotions are common in the lead-up to Earth Day on April 22. "We've been working with retailers to go big with their organic apple promotions this spring and are excited to see great displays and promotions happen soon," Shales says.
Exhibiting at CPMA
Looking ahead, Stemilt Growers will be exhibiting at the upcoming CPMA show on April 23-25 in Vancouver, Canada at booth #1552. "We haven't exhibited at CPMA in a few years, so we are excited to be back," says Shales. "We look forward to connecting with our retail partners and industry friends at CPMA. It's always a great gathering for produce and comes at a time when we can share updates on the remaining apple crop and discuss cherries with customers."
Visitors to Stemilt Growers' booth can expect to see its packaged programs like Lil Snappers® which do very well in Canada, along with its new sustainable four-pack for organic apples called EZ Band. "It helps merchandise large-sized apples in a scannable unit that relies on very little labor to display in stores," adds Shales.
For more information:
Brianna Shales
Stemilt Growers LLC
Brianna.Shales@Stemilt.com
https://www.stemilt.com/