WENATCHEE, Wash. – According to a recent study in Pediatrics, apples rank as the top fruit consumed by people ages 2-19 in the United States. The study, which looked at fruit consumption of more than 3,000 responses to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2011-12, found that apples accounted for nearly 19% of fruit intake among children. Whole fruits, like Stemilt’s Lil Snappers® kid-sized apples, accounted for 53% of fruit intake, while fruit juices accounted for 34%.
“It’s great to see today’s children eating more servings of fruit, and apples in particular,” said Stemilt marketing director Roger Pepperl. “Apples are a great source of fiber and nutrients and an ideal portable snack for children. These research findings support our recommendation to prominently display apples in produce departments throughout the fall and winter months. They also support the merchandising tactic of using kid-specific products like Lil Snappers® in order to market apples to parents and their kids.”
Stemilt has been successfully marketing apples to kids and parents since 2011, when the company launched its Lil Snappers® line of kid-sized fruits packed in convenient, 3lb. pouch bags. The idea behind the brand was to package premium quality, small-sized fruit in kids’ favorite varieties in order to encourage fruit consumption among children, while also providing parents with a grab-and-go snack option for their family. The product line became an instant hit at retail and eventually expanded to include packs of Stemilt pears, and Sunkist® citrus, as well as mixed variety bags of apples and citrus that Sunkist and Stemilt jointly market.
“Lil Snappers® work because they directly market to the intended user, and fulfill the need parents have to provide their kids with a healthy snack in a size that fits what kids can and will actually eat. With around 10 apples per 3lb. bag, a Lil Snappers® apple can be packed into two school lunches every day for a week,” said Pepperl.
The 2015 apple crop in Washington State has and will continue to produce larger volumes of small apples for Lil Snappers® packs than the 2014 season did. That’s because warm summer temperatures slowed fruit sizing. At the same time, new plantings of consumer favorite apples like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady®, and Stemilt’s signature variety, Piñata®, have come into production, making for larger volumes of these three sought-after apples, which are available as Lil Snappers®.
“According to Nielsen Perishables Group retail scan data, Honeycrisp was the leading variety to drive growth in the apple category last year, and the best promotions were those that included Honeycrisp apples. Given the smaller fruit size this year, retailers have a great opportunity to promote new flavors of apples directly to kids through Lil Snappers® pouch bags. Promoting specialty varieties like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady® and Piñata® in Lil Snappers® pouch bags is a great way to encourage trial and repeat purchases,” said Pepperl.
Stemilt recently finished harvest on Honeycrisp apples and Piñata apple harvest is still going. The company is the industry leader in Pink Lady® apples and will harvest this late variety starting in October. Sizing is down from last year, but the quality of this year’s apple crop is excellent with great eating flavors and color, Pepperl said.
“Lil Snappers® apples have a lot of growth potential at retail this year, as we have a high-quality crop and the right variety mix. The coming months are ideal for retailers to bring Lil Snappers® apples in and sell them out. This great kids brand is an easy way to promote flavor, quality, and kids’ favorite fruit while giving your apple category a boost,” said Pepperl.
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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 largest suppliers of organic tree fruits in the nation. 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, Pinterest, Instagram, and You Tube.
Source: Stemilt Growers
