Selah, WA – Rainier Fruit recently returned from the 121st running of the Boston Marathon where they handed out more than 50,000 apples, as part of their role as the official apple sponsor and shipped more than 120,000 cases of Boston Marathon branded apples to regional retailers throughout the northeast.
What began in 2016 as an effort to promote organic apples to a health focused crowed and build brand awareness at retail has grown into a multi-year campaign focused on delivering healthy fruits and health focused messages to consumers and retailers around the U.S.
Andy Tudor, VP of Business Development for Rainier Fruit remarked, “Last year experiencing the Boston Marathon for the first time was surreal, but also a time to learn what would work best. This year, we were really able to become part of the community and live our message of Wholesome to the Core with our retail partners, and work in conjunction with the BAA and other Boston Marathon sponsors for collaborative opportunities.”
That community collaboration included not only hospitality and event marketing within the marathon events, but also retail engagement that allowed Rainier Fruit to ship more than 120,000 cases of Boston Marathon branded apple packages to retailers throughout the Northeast that became part of themed in-store displays in stores like Costco, Whole Foods, Tops and Stop & Shop with a mix of conventional and organic apples.
An additional retail collaboration tied to the Boston events included a regional marketing program with Whole Foods stores in the Boston area to support One Boston Day and the Martin Richard Foundation (MR8). Thanks to promotional pricing, in-store signage, local media and social media marketing, Whole Foods and Rainier Fruit were able to collectively raise over $4000 for MR8.
One Boston Day was born in 2015 as a way to commemorate the spirit of Boston Strong after the devastating aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings. Rainier Fruit, along with Whole Foods each donated a portion of all sales of Rainier apples on April 15, One Boston Day to the Martin Richard Foundation which works in memory of Martin Richard, a local Dorchester, MA youth who died during the bombings.
Tudor remarked, “This year’s Boston Marathon with more than 30,000 runners, 7000+ volunteers and 500,000 plus fans from around the country continues to affirm that the spirit of our consumers continues to be the reason we do what we do.” Tudor continued, “So many people came up to us and told us they remember eating our apples last year, how delicious they were, that they had seen us in store or even sent photos of themselves finding our packaging before or after the event. This is what real consumer touchpoints look like…the emotional connection that consumers have when their life and their passions merge – we know that’s how we serve our mission of being Wholesome to the Core.”
As part of the weekend events, Rainier Fruit had the chance to celebrate their own running teams as part of the Saturday 5K and the Monday Marathon. Marathon runners included Rainier’s own Scott Blackledge, a long-term employee and Safety Manager for the company, as well as runners from around the country representing some of Rainier’s customers from local and national buying offices.
During the 4 day marathon weekend Rainier Fruit gave away more than 40,000 pounds of Lady Alice apples, one of their Rising Star apple varieties. Rising Star varieties include top performing Honeycrisp, Jazz®, Pink Lady® and Rainier’s proprietary Lady Alice®.
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Rainier Fruit is a multi-generation, vertically integrated fruit company based in Selah, WA. For more than 100 years, Rainier Fruit has cultivated a culture of stewardship that extends from their orchards to their communities that has made them an industry leader in the production of apples, pears, cherries and blueberries.
Source: Rainier Fruit
