New Crop Of SweeTango Apples Draws Enthusiastic Shoppers

LAKE CITY, Minn. – The start of this fall’s SweeTango apple season has been met with an enthusiastic response, as consumers throughout the United States and Canada eagerly anticipated the popular apple’s return.  Across SweeTango’s social channels, consumers are celebrating the apple’s arrival, even sharing pictures of their local retailer’s SweeTango display, or their first bite of the season.

This comes as no surprise to SweeTango growers and shippers. Nielsen category data from last season shows consumer demand continues to rise for this uber-crunchy apple variety, whose sweet flavor is touched with lively notes of citrus, honey and spice.

The Nielsen data shows that during SweeTango’s season of availability between Aug. 23 and Dec. 26, 2015, SweeTango ranked among the top 20 of all apple varieties nationwide when measured by average volume. Positioned at number 12, SweeTango’s performance at retail is accented by the fact that its average retail price nationwide is second only to Honeycrisp. “SweeTango’s rise has been extraordinary. It has been on the market for only six seasons and production is still ramping up,” said Skip Swanson, marketing and sales director for Pepin Heights Orchards, Inc., in Lake City, Minn. Pepin Heights manages sales of SweeTango for the Central U.S. region. 

When compared only to other managed or “club” apple varieties, SweeTango held the #3 spot nationwide by average volume, while also priced at the highest average retail, according to the Nielsen data for that same time period.

SweeTango growers and shippers are expecting this momentum to continue with the 2016 crop and beyond, especially as more consumers are introduced to the variety. Swanson notes, “We are wholly focused at this point on getting fruit into consumers’ hands and mouths, working with our retail partners to do as many samplings as possible. Then the apple sells itself; it is so satisfyingly crunchy and delicious. Fans wait for it to be in season, and they are willing to pay more for the better eating experience.”

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ABOUT NEXT BIG THING, A GROWERS’ COOPERATIVE

Next Big Thing, A Growers’ Cooperative is a 47-member cooperative of family growers, spread over five time zones from Nova Scotia to Washington state, that grows and markets managed varieties of apples, beginning with SweeTango. You can find more information on SweeTango at http://www.sweetango.com or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sweetango.

Source: Next Big Thing, A Growers’ Cooperative