Wenatchee, WA — A consumer study by Category Partners and CMI Orchards crowned Ambrosia Gold® as the #1 preferred apple in blind taste tests against seven other high-flavor branded and core varieties. An impressive 85% of participants ranked Ambrosia Gold® in their top three, with 75% preferring it over its comparable core variety, Gala.
“We selected Gala for the match-up against Ambrosia Gold®, as both apples satisfy consumers seeking mild, low-acid sweet apples. Ambrosia Gold® apples captivated surveyed participants with their honey sweetness and stunning bi-colored yellow and pink-blushed appearance,” says Rochelle Bohm, Vice President of Marketing at CMI Orchards. “Crisp and slow to brown, Ambrosia Gold® is the natural upgrade for shoppers seeking a mild, low-acid apple with high sugar content. Our study shows Ambrosia Gold® excels in flavor and appearance, even surpassing Honeycrisp in texture. Ambrosia Gold® dominated our entire study with the highest scores in every category.”
CMI’s Vice President of Business Strategy Loren Foss explains, “Ambrosia Gold® blends apple innovation with wide appeal and high consumer satisfaction. Retailers stocking Ambrosia Gold® can expect increased sales and happier customers due to its consistently great taste and visual appeal—the proof is in the data!”
If retailers aren’t carrying Ambrosia Gold®, Foss continues, CMI recommends replacing one Gala SKU with Ambrosia Gold® to attract mild apple fans and capitalize on the trade-up opportunity. “Gala is an important variety and one of the best-selling apples in the U.S.A.,” says Foss. “We’re not saying remove Gala from the shelf altogether, but to allocate one of many Gala SKUs to Ambrosia Gold®—trade shoppers up, elevate their eating experience, and give retailers a fresh tool to capture incremental sales.”
CMI has custom signage ready, adds on Bohm, offering an innovative approach to help retailers trade shoppers up from Gala to Ambrosia Gold®. “Our ‘Like Gala? You’ll LOVE Ambrosia Gold®’ campaign includes stanchion signage and shelf point-of-sale materials to promote this upgrade,” she shares. “Retailers can work with CMI to customize in-store and online marketing.”
After launching into the American market, Foss explains the McDougall family held exclusive rights as the sole U.S. licensed growers for a decade–a testament to their pioneering spirit and dedication.
“The McDougall family are visionaries in orchard management and were the first to introduce Ambrosia to the U.S. from Canada, skyrocketing it from an unknown variety to one of the top-selling apples in America,” says Foss. “Since then, their commitment to excellence has not only captivated taste buds across the nation, but sustained the apple’s star power with decades of meticulously refined practices designed to make a variety that’s difficult to grow flourish. Our brand, Ambrosia Gold®, represents the Gold Standard of Ambrosia Apples.”
Check out the full study results for these insights and more HERE.
About CMI Orchards
CMI Orchards is one of the Pacific Northwest’s largest growers, shippers, and packers of premium quality conventional and organic apples, pears, and cherries. Based in Wenatchee, WA, CMI Orchards delivers outstanding fruit across the U.S.A. and exports to over 60 countries worldwide.
