Produce to help retailers strike gold for St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick’s Day is nearing. It’s time to think green, says Brianna Shales, director of marketing for Stemilt Growers, and granny smith apples and d’anjou pears are an ideal addition to holiday promotions.

“Green is the signature color of the holiday, and we have two fruits that will tie naturally into St. Patrick’s Day-themed promotions," Shales said in a news release. “Granny smith has held a consistent place in the category as the No. 3 apple variety in the U.S., and March is a good time to take advantage of d’anjou pears while other varieties have less availability.”

Shales said granny smith represents 11.2% of apple pounds sold and about 10.3% of sales, trailing just behind Honeycrisp. With the variety on a swing for retail price per point, Shales said it can be sold at a higher retail price this year.

“In March 2024, granny smith sales were fueled by a large apple crop where 7.2% more granny smith apples were sold than in this time frame in 2023,” Shales said. “This year we’re selling 12.2% more, but dollars are up 10% year over year from Dec. 1, 2024, to Jan. 25, 2025.”

Stemilt Growers reports that March is the only month that d’anjou pears outsell bartlett in terms of volume and dollars. D’anjou makes 32% of sales and volumes in the March time frame because other varieties aren’t available or in large supply.

“Promotional activity for pears has been less this year than in previous years due to the shortened crop, however, the green color of d’anjou makes it great for capturing consumer attention,” Shales said. “It pairs well alongside granny smith to offer both an apple and pear option for St. Patrick’s Day.”

Shales said Stemilt offers a multitude of bag and bulk options and sees a nearly a 50/50 split between bag and bulk preferences among consumers.

“Traditionally, November is the time when granny smith promotions are running as we get closer to Thanksgiving,” said Shales. “We’d like to bring that same spike to the category into March as well to help increase volume and sales of apples and pears at retail early in the spring. Bringing in a 5-pound bag of granny smith apples and a 3-pound bag for d’anjou pears are great vehicles to use to achieve this.”