New York Apples Coming in Strong

With the large, high-quality apple crop this year, marketing is important.

An abundant, quality New York apple crop will hit markets this year, backed by marketing and merchandising that will keep shoppers buying.

Marc Goldman, produce director at Morton Williams Supermarket, Bronx, NY, says circular advertising ensures customers are primed to buy in-store during New York apple season. Even before apple season began, Morton Williams also featured a range of apples on its e-commerce website, as well as its stores, including those commonly grown in New York, such as Galas and Honeycrisps.

Goldman says he connects his customers with local apples via 2-pound bags, with grower graphics as part of the package. “They call out New York State and have a picture of the farm on the back,” he says, adding that the store’s local apples are from Hudson Valley, a region most New Yorkers associate with orchards and the fruit.

In central New York, Mike Servello, chief executive, Bargain Grocery, Utica, NY, says the company merchandises in bulk, so consumers immediately get an impression of what’s new and upcoming as fall approaches. Bargain Grocery uses social media videos to highlight new arrivals.

“We put out bins of the apples, and we do it at a very reasonable price,” he says.

As New York apple season arrives, Servello says he works with growers in the Hudson Valley growing area in the early part of the season, then incorporates apples from western New York, as that region gets going a little later.

SELLING SUPPORT

The New York Apple Association (NYAA), Fishers, NY, plays an important role in boosting the recognition and sale of fruit from the state. Cynthia Haskins, NYAA president and chief executive, says New York State apple growers constitute a closely knit, multigenerational community that is deeply invested in sustaining their family legacies.

More than 500 apple growers operate in New York State and contribute to the Apple Marketing Order that collects an average of between $2-$2.1 million yearly, depending upon the crop size, to promote the state’s apples and apple products. In 2024, New York State also earmarked almost $1.25 million to NYAA’s consumer program, giving the nonprofit association more than $3 million to market this season’s apples.

So far, the season looks to provide a large and high-quality crop of between 32,500 and 32,700 bushels, says Haskins.

“It is truly a beautiful crop. We have a solid mix of larger and smaller fruit,” says Haskins. “New York State is the one-stop source for apples. We are located closer to many of the densely populated cities and the many communities in between. Our apple shippers have a good range of packaging options, from poly bags to pouches to totes and tray packs for the consumer who enjoys hand-selecting their apples.”

“It is truly a beautiful crop. We have a solid mix of larger and smaller fruit — New York State is the one-stop source for apples.”
— Cynthia Haskins, New York Apple Association, Fishers, NY

The NYAA prioritizes advertising, promotions and education to expand the reputation of the state’s apples, grown with The Big Flavor, Haskins says, which is also the name of a recent marketing campaign. NYAA also coordinates ongoing digital and social media marketing campaigns, as well as more traditional promotions.

Haskins says NYAA has developed new photography and video assets that include images of New York apples, apple growers, recipes, flavor profiles for social media and digital platforms.

“Consumers love recipes,” says Haskins. “This past year, 165,325 consumers visited our website just for recipes. Some of the recipes we will launch this year include Drunk Apple and Salami Skewers, Be Stilton My Heart Appetizers, Cheery Cherry Apple Cheese Delights, Apple Pistachio Bites, Honey Bleu Crunch Appetizer and Sassy Apple and Jalapeño Sliders.”

NYAA has new twists on more traditional advertising, as well.

“This year, we are investing in a digital billboard in the heart of New York City, and mobile billboards on 600 buses traveling the five boroughs,” says Haskins. “Our in-store display shippers, billboards, signage, geotargeted advertising and banner ads will carry the same graphics and The Big Flavor messaging,” says Haskins.

Consumers in New York are largely familiar with its apple growing history and the availability of fresh fruit rolling through the fall, so outreach in-state and in the immediate region can be important. To maximize the potential, stores should “display material and locally packed product” that supports consumer interest, says David Williams, vice president of sales and marketing, Apple Acres, LaFayette, NY.

New York growers have “many apples to move, with a nice clean crop,” says Williams, adding, “Washington and Michigan also have large crops, so it will be a challenge to get all the fruit moved.”

Tim Mansfield, director of sales and marketing, Sun Orchard Fruit Co., Burt, NY, says marketing is important for New York apples especially this year, given multiple growing regions reporting large crops. As such, the more growers and growing regions stepping on the marketing gas for apples, the better off everyone will be.

“It is a big deal,” he says. “We need to get movement flowing deep and wide with apples this fall. Most regions look to be interested in making this happen.”

LOCAL IS STRONG SELL

For its part, Crunch Time Apple Growers, Lockport, NY, is looking at several ways to entice consumers with the varieties it favors.

“We do a lot of consumer outreach for both SnapDragon and RubyFrost,” says Jessica Wells, executive director. “SnapDragon is the official apple of the Buffalo Bills, and we do sampling at every Bills event for which apples are available, including home games, player camps, team and stadium events and charity events.”

Wells says Crunch Time works with retailers to determine the best way to communicate with and reach consumers. “We promote our brands using influencers and online advertising, as well as through traditional means like billboards, radio and television commercials. When promoting SnapDragon and RubyFrost, we do our best to target only those geographic areas where they are currently available. We don’t want to promote an apple to consumers if they can’t purchase it in their area.”

Sun Orchard does both business-to-business and consumer marketing, while supporting in-store apple sales. “We get involved with demos and that type of outreach,” says Mansfield, “not to mention display contests. Local is a strong sell.”

Online, Sun Orchard has several focal points it uses for consumer engagement. “We feature recipes and get involved in community events. In addition, the company works with influencers around themes of cancer prevention, education, etc.,” says Mansfield.

Aggressive merchandising can take marketing and promotional efforts into the final yard. Mansfield calls typical efforts “effective,” but adds, “more could be done. There is a crowded marketplace, but the key is to find a good partner to cross-merchandise with, based on product and willingness and visibility.”

Wells says Crunch Time has two key marketing targets — consumers and retailers. “We have 11 sales partners in New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan managing the sales process to retailers. As an organization, we promote SnapDragon and RubyFrost through trade advertising, trade media and trade shows.”

For example, during the National Restaurant Association’s Chicago show in May, Crunch Time took part in the New York State Department of Agriculture’s Taste of the States booth.

“This was a new twist on the B2B audience that we have targeted. We met some great contacts and are hopeful that SnapDragon and RubyFrost apples will be showing up in some restaurants and foodservice venues as a result,” says Wells.

Crunch Time is also making the most of social media.

“Each platform has a different audience and type of post. Instagram is home to most of our influencer relationships. Facebook is great for advertising and engaging with a slightly more mature audience. Pinterest is great for sharing recipes, and TikTok is where we get to have a little fun, particularly with our lovable dragon mascot, Snappy,” says Wells.

Email also remains a viable and effective means of reaching consumers.

“While SnapDragon and RubyFrost are in season, we use our consumer email list at least monthly,” says Wells. “We’ve used the list to announce crop-related news, promotions and on-site activations, offer coupons, share recipes and highlight our growers. It helps us stay connected with our consumers in more in-depth ways than on social media.”

As Morton Williams’ Goldman points out, growers and the organizations that promote their products can make a statement in-store, which can pull together marketing programs and increase awareness and effectiveness.

For Sun Orchard, brand is a critical way to call consumer attention to the evolution of the apple sector. “Brand is important with new varieties, as well as brand-specific packaging,” says Mansfield.

With so many premium varieties available for consumers to choose from right now, packaging and branding are critical to the success of any new apple variety, Wells says. “Retailers are using fewer point-of-purchase displays and are moving away from cardboard to reusable outer packing, making it very important for packaging to tell consumers what they are buying. If a consumer doesn’t know what’s in a bag, or why that bag of apples is different, what motivates them to purchase it?”

Crunch Time supports its retailers with point-of-purchase materials, ZIP code-targeted online advertising and sometimes influencers. “Local plays a big role in New York state, but is also along the East Coast,” says Wells.

NYAA looks for ways to increase apple consumption and is making wellness a larger part of its marketing efforts. In expanding an existing program, NYAA will launch a new tagline, The Big Flavor — Wellness Never Tasted So Good.

“There is a lot of evidence-based research that provides credible reasons for consumers to add apples to their diets, from linking apple consumption to weight loss to boosting heart health and serving as an excellent source of dietary fiber,” says Haskins. “In addition, apples are healthy sources of antioxidants, which have been linked to disease prevention.”

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Plenty of NY Apples to Go Around

Crunch Time Apple Growers, Lockport, NY, says the prospects for the two New York specialty apples it spotlights, SnapDragon and RubyFrost, is positive, which means that prospects for broad distribution are solid.

“The crop looks to be a good one, with total harvest volume anticipated to be up by about 20% over last season,” says Jessica Wells, executive director.

At one point last season, SnapDragon apples were available in 46 states, she adds. Its largest geographic market is the East Coast, particularly New York, the Mid-Atlantic and the Southeast.

Crunch Time Apple Growers is owned by about 160 apple growers across New York State. In addition to the New York growers, there are about 20 direct market growers outside of New York that are licensed to grow and market SnapDragon and RubyFrost directly to consumers.

Although Empire State apples have the potential to make it even as far as the West Coast, they are mainly distributed on the East Coast, says Tim Mansfield, director of sales and marketing at Sun Orchard Fruit Co., Burt, NY. He maintains that 2024 “should be a good year, some varieties are down and some are up, but, overall, crop volume is similar to last year.”

David Williams, vice president of sales and marketing at Apple Acres, LaFayette, NY, says that, as summer rolled along, key New York varieties including HoneyCrisp, Gala, Snapdragon, MacIntosh, Sweetango, were all developing in a positive manner.

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Big Apple Support

The New York Apple Association means business when it comes to promoting New York State apples, and it’s good at what it does.

Cynthia Haskins, NYAA president and chief executive, says the association has earned numerous awards for its campaigns and promotions. In 2024, the NYAA won the Digital & Social Media Champion division of the “Cap” Creal Award from the New York State Agriculture Society, and the Best of Show from the Greater Rochester American Advertising Federation for the association’s The Big Flavor campaign.

NYAA also is a past winner of the Produce Business Annual Marketing Excellence Award.