Retailers Don’t Wait for Demand—They Create It for Convenience-Seeking Shoppers

EMMAUS – Convenience is the expectation for families balancing everything from school lunches and carpool pickups to after-school snacks. They’re increasingly reaching for bagged produce that can go from grocery cart to lunchbox—with no worries about running out during a busy week. This season, SweeTango® is still delivering excellent, quality fruit for retailers who are looking to add ease and consistency to shoppers’ daily routines—now.

Shelby Miller and Brian Coates of Applewood Fresh emphasize, “SweeTango aligns perfectly with these trends. Its crisp bite, sweet-tangy flavor, and reliable eating experience make it an easy, on-the-go snack that meets today’s “healthy convenience” mindset. With strong branding and versatile packaging options—from totes to pouch bags—SweeTango delivers premium quality in a simple, shopper-friendly format that fits busy lifestyles.”

“From a quality standpoint, we ensure that SweeTango apples in bagged format maintain the same exceptional eating experience as bulk fruit. We do this by hand-selecting premium fruit, maintaining a strict cold chain, and using packaging that balances moisture retention and airflow to keep apples crisp and fresh,” adds Tenley Fitzgerald of Yes! Apples.

Be Their Back-to-School Essential

SweeTango’s perfectly balanced flavor and exceptional taste, on top of wholesome and ready-to-eat nutrition, makes it a top convenience snack. The Produce Nonprofit’s What’s New? 2025 survey shows millennials now account for 68% of produce sales, with fruit identified as their top grab-and-go option. Retailers can align with this new generation of parents (and their preferential children), supplying SweeTango as a winning choice for those balancing work and family. On top of convenience for parents, the SweeTango’s fresh crunch and crispysweet, craveable flavor makes it a perfect pick for kids—no more throwing away apples that don’t satisfy. 

“No matter what block or lot you chose, they taste so good you would think they’re candy. SweeTango stands alone at the top when it comes to a consistent crisp, juicy, and sweet eating experience. Consumers simply want the best for their money—and SweeTango delivers,” reports Austin Fowler of Fowler Farms.

A Season to Create Demand

SweeTango is one of the first premium apples of the season, and the steep demand at the start of the season makes it important for retailers to buy early—and often—to satisfy it. For retailers, acting quickly to secure fruit within the season’s prime supply window will draw purchase-ready customers to their stores. Beyond bulk, they have an opportunity to drive greater demand in stores with bagged fruit for shoppers that desire a no-prep, healthy, and delicious snack.

The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2024 highlights that packaged produce appeals strongly to families for its convenience, portion control, and even hygiene. 

Brianna Shales of Stemilt Growers elaborates, “Getting SweeTango in-store early in the season can help create consumer excitement for a fresh-from-the-tree, premium apple backed by quality from Stemilt’s orchards in Washington state. Packaged SweeTango apples offer convenience to shoppers and the confidence of freshness, as each apple is carefully handled to ensure the apple’s signature crisp bite, and sweet and spicy flavor.”

Any retailer that stocks quickly has access to those who are ready and eager to buy for these exact reasons. SweeTango’s loyal “superfan” base also looks for this apple well before fall begins—an added opportunity for retailers to stock and sell successfully.

“When we know early which retailers are committed, we can put our full marketing strength behind them—through shopper marketing, out-of-home placements, geo-targeted campaigns, influencer partnerships, and content that connects directly with their markets. This alignment means the brand story reaches consumers at every touchpoint—from social media to the store shelf—creating a consistent and compelling path to purchase,” Yes! Apples shares.

Scarcity Means Faster Shelf Movement 

With an innovative, quality, and exclusive apple that’s only available from September through May (dependent on location), retailers can capture the discerning tastes of consumers who demand more than the average apple choice. Every shopper’s desire to “get them before they’re gone” means there will be more SweeTango in carts each time they shop—to assure they won’t run out of the crisp, sweet, and zesty apple at home.

Why Retailers Should Act Now

• Generate demand: Shoppers are actively seeking convenience and nutrition without compromise
• Bagged for grab-and-go: Turn apples into a comparable packaged snack choice
• Premium and consistent experience: Deliver a differentiated produce profile in a competitive market
• Scarcity to drive sales: Generate urgency for shoppers with a limited availability window

Retailers can locate their region’s SweeTango sales desks at SweeTango.com/about/for-retailers. In addition to the regional U.S. sales desks, SweeTango sales in Canada are handled by Scotian Gold and Quebec’s Jean-Yves Boileau et Fils.

ABOUT NEXT BIG THING, A GROWERS’ COOPERATIVE

Next Big Thing, A Growers’ Cooperative is a member cooperative of more than 60 family growers, spread over five time zones from Nova Scotia to Washington state. The co-op licenses, grows and markets premium, managed varieties of apples, beginning with SweeTango®. 

ABOUT SWEETANGO® APPLES

SweeTango’s signature taste, texture and quality stem from careful breeding, meticulously-selected growing locations and expert horticultural practices. Expert apple breeders at the University of Minnesota crossed the sweet Honeycrisp and the tangy Zestar! varieties to create SweeTango’s more complex, crowd-pleasing flavor profile: sweet, with a touch of citrus, honey and spice. First introduced at retail in the United States and Canada in 2009 and supported by coordinated strategic marketing, this brand has grown into a perennial top-5 trademark apple. SweeTango is a registered trademark of Regents of the University of Minnesota. More information on SweeTango can be found at www.sweetango.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/sweetango, @SweeTango on X (formerly known as Twitter), and sweetango_apple on Instagram.