WENATCHEE, Wash. – The Big Apple is raving about Stemilt’s new signature apple brand, Rave®, following the first-ever apple pop-up shop experience. Stemilt took over the 393 Broadway shop August 16-18 to celebrate its new release in a similar fashion that Apple Inc. does with the new release of its many tech gadgets. Stemilt sampled and shared more than 2,500 Rave® apples with people inside the shop and earned more than 25,000 impressions with those passing the shop during the three-day experience.
“The Rave® apple pop-up shop was a surprise and a delight for people across the Big Apple last weekend,” said Brianna Shales, Stemilt communications manager. “Pop-up shops are common in New York, but no one had been to a ‘real’ apple shop before. It was a great way to give people a first taste of our new release, Rave®, and share its unique flavor, story, and seasonality.”
Stemilt designed the pop-up shop to mirror an actual Apple store, with white walls, simple graphics and a wall of Rave® apples. The shop’s outside marquee and window signage teased those passing the shop the days leading up to the event about a new apple release. Once it came time to open the shop’s doors, media, residents and visitors of NYC were intrigued by what they would find inside.
“We had many people walk in thinking they would find smartphones and tablets,” said Shales. “Once the initial shock wore off, people were excited to give Rave® a try, and after the first bite, they recognized and enjoyed its crunch, incredible juice and zing.”
Beyond introducing Rave® to apple fans in the big city, Stemilt created the event to stir up media excitement. The company earned media coverage in several tech publications, including The Verge, Entrepreneur, and Cult of Mac, while also bringing food and lifestyle influencers like the Nutrition Twins through the store’s doors.
“The Rave® apple season is short yet sweet and the pop-up experience proved to be a great way to help people start recognizing the apple’s name and branding,” said Shales. “We met people from different states, countries, and of course apple enthusiasts from the heart of NYC that once they tried it, couldn’t wait to hear where they could buy the apple.”
Stemilt held a special event for a culinary meet-up group from the Leisurely App on its final day of the shop. Shales led a salad recipe demonstration, apple and cheese pairing, and shared Rave® attributes and Stemilt’s family farming story to the group for over an hour.
Stemilt kicked off its second Rave® the first week of August and expects to wrap up the season in early September. Rave® is the brand name for MN55 cultivar apples, developed by University of Minnesota researcher David Bedford as a Honeycrisp-MonArk cross. Bedford is the same breeder behind the popular Honeycrisp and SweeTango® brand Minneiska cultivar apples.
“Rave® colors and ripens in late July and has the unique position of being the first apple off the tree in Washington state,” said Shales. “It’s arrival in markets now signal the start of apple season, and as our pop-up shop showed us, shoppers love its outrageous juice and refreshing, snappy zing.”
As the short Rave® season carries on, Stemilt will continue to create excitement for the apple through a social sharing campaign called #PassTheRave. The company is inviting people to pass a note of appreciation – or an actual rave review – to a friend, family member or colleague. Visitors enter the recipient’s name, upload three photos of them together, and get a personalized video to share with them. The recipient is encouraged to #PassTheRave onto someone else.
“Rave® is the social apple. As much as we love people to rave about Rave®, we also want to spread positivity from person-to-person, and that’s what our #PassTheRave videos are doing,” said Shales.
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About Stemilt
Stemilt Growers is a leading tree fruit growing, packing and shipping company based in Wenatchee, Washington. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt is the leading shipper of sweet cherries and one of the nation’s largest suppliers of organic tree fruits. Stemilt has also demonstrated a commitment to sustainable agriculture and social responsibility since 1989, when founder Tom Mathison launched the company’s Responsible Choice program. For more information about Stemilt, visit www.stemilt.com and follow Stemilt on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and You Tube.
Source: Stemilt Growers
