Los Angeles – What do Envy™ apples have in common with other favorite grocery brands like Heinz Ketchup, Cheerios, Cholula, and Ben and Jerry’s Chunky Monkey? Each of these outstanding products is being recognized, among others, as “Kitchn Essentials,” an annual listing of must-have grocery items hand-picked by the passionate editors of popular food and lifestyle media outlet Kitchn.
Envy™ apples were recognized as “Best in Produce” for the 2021 Kitchn Essentials: Grocery Edition by the expert editorial team who cook at home every day and annually select their “ultimate guide for the absolute best.” In addition to produce, other categories include dairy, frozen, snacks, drinks, and baking and seasoning.
The online hub for Kitchn at thekitchn.com together with its multiple online platforms draws more than 70 Million unique visitors and 300 Million impressions every month (Source: Comscore February 2021). According to its annual reader survey for 2021, 99% of its readers are their households’ primary grocery shoppers; 71% visit the site weekly; and 44% have purchased a product or service directly from the website.
Kitchn editor-in-chief, Faith Durand, noted, “We scour the grocery aisles to test, review, and provide expert recommendations to our fellow home cooks, serving up inspiration for the food they want to eat as well as the resources to become the cooks they want to be. For our list of 2021 Kitchn Essentials: Grocery Edition, our team tested, tasted, and debated to present a list of the most exciting groceries in America right now. Our team loves Envy™ apples for their reliably crisp bite and sweet juiciness, and we felt they deserved a home in our ‘Best in Produce’ category.”
Cecilia Flores Paez, T&G Global head of marketing for North America commented, “Envy™ apples are a natural fit to be included in these top-rated grocery brands. It is the top selling premium apple brand driving 17.8% dollar sales growth and 17.7% volume growth.” (Source: Nielsen, Total U.S., Apple Category, L 52 weeks ending August 14, 2021) She continued, “Envy™ is a premium apple prized by influential media, chefs, and shoppers for its sophisticated sweetness and extraordinary crunch; and by our retail partners for driving strong everyday premium volume growth that is ultimately bringing strong value back to the category.”
With harvest of the U.S. crop anticipated to begin on time in late October, quality will be excellent with a range of sizes available to meet demand for both bulk and bag sales. Envy™ is leading the way in T&G Global ’s organic apple program, accounting for over 35% growth over last year.
The Envy™ marketing team is developing a robust year-long schedule of high-profile consumer-focused marketing activities that will draw new Envy™ shoppers and keep the premium apple’s loyal fan base coming back for more.
In anticipation of the new crop season, T&G Global has relaunched the brand’s website at envyapple.com and will be delivering new digital toolkits for retailers to leverage in their e-commerce platforms.
“Based on recent shopper studies, Envy™ is outperforming Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady and Opal in frequency of shopping trips, spend per trip, buy rate and average basket size,” says Flores Paez. “With Envy™ being a sought-after everyday premium apple brand with consumers, this provides a great opportunity for retailers to add and expand Envy™ in their produce sets.”
Envy™ is marketed by CMI Orchards, Rainier Fruit Co. and Oppy.
###
ABOUT T&G GLOBAL
T&G Global works with passionate growers around the world to produce, sell and deliver the highest-quality fruit. We love fresh produce, so we’re constantly exploring ways to make it more sustainable, fresh and delicious, to help people lead healthier lifestyles. T&G is a leader in the premium apple segment with its Envy™ and JAZZ™ branded varieties.
ABOUT ENVY™
Envy™ is a trademarked brand that refers to the Scilate apple variety. It was developed in New Zealand by Plant and Food Research, and was patented in 2009. T&G, which owns the Envy™ trademark, began distributing in the U.S. via its marketing partner Oppy. Envy™ is now grown, under license by T&G, in New Zealand, the U.S., Chile, Asia, the UK, France and Australia. Envy™ is marketed in the U.S. by Oppy, CMI Orchards and Rainier Fruit Co.
