WENATCHEE, Wash. –With good blooms, promotable volumes, and jumbo sizes, this year’s 100% certified organic apricot crop has the potential to be big. Stemilt’s Washington apricots are back mid-June through July with promotion windows from July 4th onwards. Stemilt Marketing Director, Brianna Shales, encourages retailers to emphasize this fuzzy fruit’s limited availability and get behind apricot promotions starting in mid-June.
“This year’s crop of Artisan Organics™ apricots are bringing good volume based on the blooms we’ve seen which will host a great organic deal at Stemilt,” says Shales. “While California is the main apricot growing region, Washington is expecting a great crop this year.”
Apricots that delight are apricots that are picked just right. The Douglas family grows all Stemilt’s apricots, peaches, and nectarines 100% organically in Pasco, WA in the Columbia Basin where a rain shadow makes for the optimal growing location for stone fruit. The family is committed to using only the best organic practices to pick stone fruit at just the right stage of ripeness for the best flavor, quality, and size.
“We will be focused on picking excellent quality apricots this year in Washington to remind our consumers of their forgotten love for this stone fruit,” explains Shales. “I would encourage retailers to carry apricots at their store because apricots reach a good demographic in families with kids who enjoy them for their mellow sweet flavor,”
Apricots are a kid favorite, and we know that families with a larger presence of children are most likely to buy them. According to The Packer’s most recent 2022 Fresh Trends research, families with two or more children were 18% more likely to purchase organic apricots periodically within the last 12 months. This data has also indicated the fifth year that Westerners picked up apricots in stores more than any other region.
“It’s a good organic item to promote during the summer months when seasonal fruit is at the top of people’s minds,” says Shales. “The best way to promote apricots in store is going to be through the use of panta packs in the organic section and through in-store promotions.”
There will be bags available and bulk promotions on jumbo, extra-large, and large size apricots with an emphasis on jumbos. Retailers should carry apricots in their organic category to fill organic space and offer a value opportunity that organic shoppers will gravitate to during this time of produce inflation.
“Merchandising apricots as a seasonal item makes for not only a great color break in your category but gives shoppers the chance to purchase great quality stone fruit as an opportunity buy from the organic section,” Shales explains.
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About Stemilt
Stemilt is a family-owned grower, packer, and shipper of tree fruit. Owned and operated by the Mathison family, Stemilt’s mission is to cultivate people and delight consumers with its World Famous Fruits. Stemilt is a leader in sweet cherries and organic tree fruits, and a key supplier of apples and pears. The company stewards an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible business through its Responsible Choice® program, which has been in place since 1989. For more information about Stemilt, visit www.stemilt.com.
