Stemilt shares successes halfway through apple crop

While it’s halfway through the apple crop, Brianna Shales, marketing director of Stemilt Growers, says two varieties have been set for success since the start of the 2024 season.

Cosmic Crisp and Pink Lady made a smooth transition from last year’s crop to this year’s, and Stemilt sees this early-season momentum as an opportunity for promotion to boost apple category volume and sales moving toward the finish line of this year’s season, according to Shales.

“We’re looking at this year’s crop like a marathon race,” she said in a news release. “We’ve been singing the tune that Honeycrisp is down in volume industry-wide and see this as an opportunity where other varieties can rise to the occasion. Cosmic Crisp and Pink Lady both experienced exceptional growing conditions, which lent to an effortless shift in one crop to the next boosting volume and movement for the two apples specifically.”

Shales said Stemilt sees 2025 as the year of Cosmic Crisp, as the variety is up 70% year over year as an industry, according to a December 2024 national storage report. Stemilt said the newer variety has quickly risen in popularity among consumers as the No. 6 apple in the U.S. and has become more readily available for year-round supply in the produce department.

Retailers can offer Cosmic Crisp as another red apple with high-crunch characteristics that consumers are looking for, according to the company. To help it stand out in produce departments, Shales said Stemilt has a new rocket display to go alongside Cosmic Crisp apples.

“Cosmic Crisp is one of those apples that consistently delivers on its brand promise to be the dream apple with perfect flavor,” Shales said. “Not only is it the No. 6 U.S. apple, but it’s also the No. 1 club apple in the U.S."

“Honeycrisp has long been a consumer favorite, and with it being down 32% in volume across the industry, there needs to be another crisp, sweet apple to offer," she continued. "Cosmic Crisp, with Honeycrisp and Enterprise apple parentage, can stand out as the crunch successor consumers are looking for with our new rocket display to create an ‘out of this world’ display.”

And Shales said Pink Lady is a standout for consumers that seek a tart apple with great quality and color. Stemilt’s 2024 crop is similar to its 2022 crop, where it made up 7% of category volumes and was the No. 6 apple in the Western region. Last year, Stemilt said it made up 5% of apple volumes and 5.2% of apple sales in this area.

Retailers have been well aligned on Pink Lady going into 2025, which helped it keep space at retail and boosted momentum at the start of the season, the release said.

“We see Pink Lady and Cosmic Crisp being the ultimate duo that can bring volume and velocity to the category,” Shales said. “On one shelf, you can offer a vibrantly pink, tart apple, and on another, a bold red, crisp apple. Through promotion and multi-variety ads, these two varieties have real potential to make an impact in the category throughout the season and to its end.”