WENATCHEE, Wash. – Stemilt Growers is unveiling a new look for its Fresh Blenders™ line of apples for juicing and smoothies. The new look will arrive soon to produce departments via 5lb. pouch bags and a redesigned display ready shipper carton which will help retailers market directly to the growing crowd of shoppers who juice or make smoothies at home.
“The new look features a simplified logo with obvious messaging to shoppers that the apples inside were grown to be juiced,” said Roger Pepperl, Stemilt marketing director. “The packaging makes it easy for retailers to merchandise juicing apples separate from their regular apple displays. Segmenting is key to category growth, and has proven to be very successful at driving apple sales in the past with brands like our industry-leading Lil Snappers® kid-sized fruits.”
Apples are a main fruit used by shoppers who either juice or blend at home, because of their flavors, high juice concentration, and nutritional benefits. They are also readily available throughout the year. Shoppers who juice often buy produce in bulk so they don’t need premium quality fruit. The apples packed under the Fresh Blenders™ brand have great flavor profiles, with high sugars and acids, but may not have full color or be blemish-free as one would expect with a bulk display. “This makes Fresh Blenders™ a great value offering, which is needed in the apple category, and a great way to capture a bigger purchase size from a shopper who is buying for a specific purpose,” said Pepperl.
Stemilt’s in-house design team created the new logo and packaging, using simple and clean graphics and messaging in order to convey the value of Fresh Blenders™. The simplicity of the look also help the apples stand out on display, and allow shoppers to easily inspect each stand-up bag.
Another change for the Fresh Blenders™ brand, which launched back in 2015, is the move to one 5lb. pouch bag for conventional fruit, and a 4lb. pouch bag for organic fruit. Only one variety of apple is packaged in a Fresh Blenders™ bag, and the variety name is labeled with a sticker on the outside of the bag for easy recognition by the shopper.
The Fresh Blenders™ display ready carton clearly calls out the product as “Juicing Apples,” making it a great merchandising tool to create a juicing destination in the produce department.
“Studies have shown that 1 in 3 shoppers are buying fresh fruits and vegetables specifically for juicing and making smoothies at home. They juice because it’s an easy way to get many servings of fruits and vegetables, not only for themselves, but their kids too. Building a ‘juicing destination’ at retail and merchandising juicing ingredients like apples, carrots, kale and more together is a great way to attract these shoppers and encourage those purchases. Fresh Blenders™ apples do the messaging for you, and are a great value offering to attract this important shopper segment,” said Pepperl.
For more information about Fresh Blenders™ apples, visit: https://www.stemilt.com/fruits/fresh-blenders/apples-smoothies-juices/.
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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.
Source: Stemilt Growers
