Partnering with retailers to promote their product can spur demand and boost sales, many Michigan apple grower-shippers have found.
BelleHarvest Sales Inc., Belding, Mich., has created a full-service marketing program to do just that.
“It's very important to work with the retailer, because so many apples look similar,” President Nick Mascari said. And it's important to convey the flavor profile to the consumer. “Is it a crunchy apple? Is it a sweet apple? Is it a tangy apple?” he said.
Mascari suggested that retailers separate apple types by color and other characteristics as much as possible, “and fill in the gaps with retail signage, a bag or pouch section, or even secondary displays.”
One way to call attention to specific varieties is to merchandise bagged or pouched apples that contain descriptions of the product and “tell the apple story,” he said.
“If you go into the apple section of the produce department, it can be overwhelming for a consumer, so it's important to have signage to speak to the consumer to help them make a choice,” Mascari said.
If there are more than a dozen apples displayed in the produce department, and shoppers aren't familiar with many of them, they may well pick up a different item instead of choosing apples, he said. “Signage is key,” Mascari said. “The sign is the silent salesperson.”
Photo: Danni Barnhart, Associated Food Stores | From the Winter 2021 Produce Artist Awards Series
Sparta, Mich.-based Riveridge Produce Marketing Inc., provides assets such as imagery and background on growers to help retailers tell the story of where their apples come from, said Trish Taylor, marketing manager.
“It can often be difficult for consumers to connect buying apples in their grocery store to family-owned, multigenerational orchards,” she said. “But when they do make the connection, there is even more support for purchasing apples.”
Brian Coates, vice president of sales and business development for Applewood Fresh LLC, Sparta, Mich., suggested merchandising apples by flavor profile from sweet to tart.
“Most customers do not know the flavor profiles of all the apples,” he said, so mentioning the flavor profile can be helpful. The company provides samples for customers to demo. During the pandemic, Applewood Fresh has provided some customers with a single sleeve with an apple in it to give away to customers.
“Some have given the apple to customers as a bonus in online orders,” Coates said. The company also prepares custom signage with specific varietal information for some customers, Coates said.
Retailers should refresh apple displays a minimum of every couple of weeks to maintain a fresh look for consumers and to highlight different varieties, he said.
“Getting the consumer to expect to see something fresh and new when they come into shop is important,” he said.
Taylor suggests that retailers tout the benefits of apples. “There are so many,” she said. “Today's environment is incredibly competitive with snack foods -- healthy and otherwise -- but apples are the original snack,” she said. “They're naturally portable, stay fresh for weeks if kept in the refrigerator, and they're full of nutrition.”
BelleHarvest makes available tools such as point-of-sale materials, signage and video product descriptions for its retail partners, Mascari said.
The company also takes advantage of social media platforms, such as TikTok, Instagram and Facebook to reach consumers.
Applewood Fresh works with a number of retailers on specific digital marketing programs, Coates said.
The company will have targeted digital campaigns in Michigan for the Rave and SweeTango varieties, and in Texas for SweeTango, he said.
Applewood Fresh is in its third year of working with The Produce Moms produce advocacy platform to help with influencing of its company's products.
“We highlight our emerging/branded varieties primarily,” Coates said.
Many retailers like to highlight the local or regional aspect of Michigan apples, Coates said.
This is a way to support local economies, and there's also a sustainability angle.
Regional buyers expend fewer food miles when buying Michigan apples than apples from growing regions in the West, he said.
And fruit from Michigan is fresher for many locations in the East because of the shorter travel distance and because Applewood is a pack-to-order shipper, Coates said.
“We do not pack up fruit ahead,” he said. “We pack to the orders we get from our customers.”