Page 46 - January_2019
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FIVE WAYS TO HEAT UP WINTER APPLE SALES
Simple selling strategies can go a long way toward capturing consumer attention.
PHOTO COURTESY OF FOWLER FARMS
1. SELL THE BEST-SELLERS
ere was a time when winter played second ddle to the fall when it came to selling apples. at’s because the domestic apple harvest, whether on the West Coast, Midwest or East Coast, nishes in November. ere has long been an element of storage, even if nothing more than the 19th century method of storing fruit in a sealed barrel. But it wasn’t until the advent of controlled atmosphere (CA) storage, pioneered in the 1930s and given a boost at the turn of the 21st century with the introduction of 1-MCP, brand-named SmartFresh — which is used commercially to slow the ripening of fruit such as apples during storage — that apples became a common xture on supermarket shelves after the rst of the year.
“Today, CA is a standard procedure for storing apples,” says Jim Allen, vice presi- dent of marketing for New York Apple Sales, in Glenmont, NY. “Generally speaking, 80
BY CAROL BAREUTHER
Eating more low-calorie, high- ber apples is a great way to keep New Year’s diet resolutions. What’s more, the old saying ‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away’ is especially true
when it comes to wintertime colds and u. In fact, this sweet crunchy fruit is a real u ghter thanks to its ample immune-boosting phytonutrients called avonoids. Combine this fact with the industry trend of bringing exciting new apple varieties out of storage and into the market after the rst of the year, and this season is certainly a ripe time to keep the register ringing with apple sales.
“Apples are a good category for us after the rst of the year when customers want to snack on something healthy,” says Mike Roberts, director of produce operations at Harps Food Stores, Inc., an 88-store chain based in Springdale, AK.
Winter is also ideal to give apples a little extra marketing and merchandising love.
46 / JANUARY 2019 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
Although this favorite ranked third in sales of the Top Fruit Categories in 2017, according to FreshFacts on Retail, 2017 Year In Review, published by the Washington, DC-head- quartered United Fresh Produce Association, the category overall declined 4.8 percent in dollars and 2.6 percent in volume. Here’s how to ignite the category:
PHOTO COURTESY OF HONEYBEAR MARKETING