Kanzi® apple sales continue to climb, proving that Europe’s favorite apple is poised for a successful future in the U.S. market. With both conventional and organic options now available, retailers can offer multiple price points to appeal to customers in search of a sweet, tangy and intensely-flavored apple.
George Harter, Vice President of Marketing for CMI Orchards said both conventional and organic Kanzi® is performing extremely well. “In an increasingly crowded apple category, Kanzi® has cemented its place among the top ten branded apples in the U.S., taking the seventh position in sales dollar performance,” said Harter, referencing the past 52-weeks of Nielsen data ending December 29, 2018. “We are seeing tremendous growth for this unique branded apple and expect to continue to see strong performance as production increases.”
Harter explained that Kanzi® growth was evident across the board, particularly for organic Kanzi®. “Over the past year, we’ve experienced accelerated growth in dollars for organic Kanzi® unmatched by any other branded organic apple,” he said. Harter explained that scan data shows an 864% growth in dollars for organic Kanzi® from the previous year. “This rapid growth reflects the tremendous investment made by one of CMI’s owner orchards, Columbia Fruit Packers, to transition conventional orchards to organic, in an effort to meet growing consumer demand,” Harter said.
According to Harter, more and more consumers are reaching for organic apples and CMI’s growers are well prepared for a rapid acceleration in the popularity of organics. “Branded organic apples offer retailers a fourth price point for capturing incremental sales: conventional core, organic core, conventional branded and at the top of the scale—organic branded apples,” he said. “Organic Kanzi® is the winning ticket to bumping up apple category sales.”
According to Harter, Nielsen data shows organic Ambrosia is the number one selling branded organic apple, performing a staggering 95% higher in sales dollars than the second ranked branded organic apple. “Of the five top selling branded organic apples, CMI carries three: Ambrosia, Kanzi® and Envy apples.” He added that organic Ambrosia had stronger sales performance than the second and third top performers combined.
According to Harter, organic Kanzi® apples are co-branded in CMI’s #1 selling Daisy Girl™ Organics program. Daisy Girl™ is the top selling organic apple and pear brand in the U.S. with a dedicated following and almost 15 years of market success.
Robb Myers, Director of Sales for CMI Orchards, added that in addition to strong sales performance, Kanzi® apples are really turning heads in the culinary arena. “Kanzi® have such a strong sweet/tart balance and flavor and incredible texture that they are really finding their place in the hands of home and professional chefs,” he said. “We think there are some great opportunities for retailers to leverage the flavor intensity of Kanzi® and capture this audience through sales promotions, demos and more and we’d love to work with retailers to help get Kanzi® into their customers’ shopping baskets.”
About Kanzi®
Kanzi® apples originated in Belgium and are now grown and marketed in the U.S. One of the owners of CMI Orchards (Columbia Fruit Packers) was granted the exclusive opportunity to develop the North American market for Kanzi® apples. CMI Orchards grows Kanzi® in Washington State and has formed an alliance with Applewood Fresh Growers LLC
in Michigan to provide retailers with a regional program for Kanzi® apples. A hybrid of Gala and Braeburn variety apples, Kanzi® combines the very best features of both parents; extreme sweetness, intense tangy flavor, juice and crunch.
