WENATCHEE, Wash. – If you can’t handle the heat, then get out of the kitchen, right? Fortunately, for Pinata® brand Pinova cultivar apples that isn’t the case. Not only is the apple an excellent snacking apple, but it is also making culinary artists happy around the nation as it continues to prove its worth. Stemilt’s efforts to demonstrate Pinata®’s capabilities in the kitchen has been growing rapidly since spokes chef Ethan Stowell’s visit to Stemilt in January.
“Chef Ethan Stowell is a culinary leader and his recognition of Pinata®’s capabilities in the kitchen helped pave the apple’s way to other chefs around the nation,” states Brianna Shales, Stemilt communications manager. “Not only are we giving chefs a taste of the best culinary apple out there, but we’re also seeing added brand exposure for this Stemilt signature apple.”
Pinata® has been making its way onto multiple social channels including the ever-growing picture-sharing platform, Instagram. Chefs like Lacey Baier and Cynthia Chen McTernan have a combined following of 257k followers and have introduced Pinata® to fellow chefs, foodies and bloggers around the world.
“Having social-friendly chefs recognize Pinata® through their social media channels is exactly the kind of marketing we strive for,” states Shales. “Word-of-mouth marketing is extremely effective and it’s the type of authenticity we crave here at Stemilt.”
Pinata® has been recognized in 16 pieces of coverage in 2019 alone and has curated a reach of over 676k social followers. In addition to that, Stemilt’s latest recipe video – the Apple Snack Bar in a Jar is making waves across social channels. The short minute and a half clip shows a fun, creative way to use Pinata® Apples with common ingredients and in no time at all.
“Using the apple in a fun, creative and an easy way speaks to multiple demographics,” says Shales. “Not only does this apple perform well for culinary needs, but it is also a great apple for the consumer who doesn’t consider themselves a master chef. This apple really can do it all.”
If retailers think that the Pinata® season is coming to an end, think again. Retailers can carry Pinata® year-round thanks to Stemilt’s collaboration with companies in the southern hemisphere. The arrival of imported conventional Pinata® apples will begin at the end of April and continue through May. Conventional Pinata® apples come from Frusan, a company based out of Chile. Organic Pinata® apples will run on the same timeframe as conventional and are grown in Argentina by Patagonia Organics.
“Our import program for Pinata features two great producers and helps bridge the gap in apple supplies, and between Pinata® crops,” states Shales. “Both Frusan and Patagonia are premium growers, packers and shippers and grow fruit to the same World Famous standards we hold here at Stemilt.”
Frusan and Patagonia each grow and harvest Roho, a high color strain of the Pinova cultivar. Pinata® comes from three heirloom varieties – Golden Delicious, Cox’s Orange Pippin, and Duchess of Oldenburg. The Mathison family of Stemilt adopted Pinata® as their first ever signature variety in 2004 and have grown it in Washington State ever since.
“Pinata® is a great apple to have in store as we head into the spring and summer months,” said Shales. “It’s juicy, has a crisp bite and tropical flavor, and the culinary abilities keeps winning shoppers and chefs over.”
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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.
