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Sun Orchard’s Mans eld says his company utilizes Facebook and Instagram to distribute information and recipes about the Pazazz variety. “ e idea is that this will drive rst- time trials and follow-up with consumption of the new variety.”
e NYAA’s new Variety Guide has photos of many of the New York apple vari- eties and descriptions of each variety’s eating characteristics. New York Apple and Broc- coli Salad, the French Style New York Apple Tarts, and New York Apple Arugula Pizza with Pecans are the three recipes highlighted in this guide. e guide can be used as a point-of-sale piece and handed out at special store events.
4. Promote. Price is always a factor when it comes to promotion, says United Apple
Sales’ Baker. “What’s often overlooked is that that traditional winter, spring and summer crops like citrus and stone fruit are stretching into the fall now. erefore, it’s important for retailers to o er apples in the same-size package and comparable pricing to these other produce options.”
When it comes to new varieties, such as New York’s SnapDragon and RubyFrost, price is important, but not the purchase driver, adds Crunch Time Apple Growers’ Montedoro. “We are selling a premium product with a superior avor, pressure, color and brix. We want our promotions to help retailers educate our consumers about the bene ts of eating our apples, sell more apples and get a great return.”
Buy-one-get-one-free ads during the
peak of the season in October, as well as promotional themes such as “locally grown”, “fall harvest” and “holiday baking and enter- taining” are e ective, according to the NYAA’s Haskins.
Beyond this, she adds, “we’ve had such great success with social media that we will amp it up for the coming season with a series of grower videos focusing on topics like family, community, passion and New York apples. We’re not only targeting New Yorkers, but consumers in other states where retailers are merchandising our apples. We will also bring back our series of videos that capture consumers experiencing the great taste of New York apples and posting them on social media. Plus, we are working on a host of consumer giveaways to make things exciting. pb
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