WENATCHEE, WA - Stemilt is gearing up for the Northwest cherry season as the overall state crop looks to produce more than 20 million boxes this year. With an early start slated for June 1st, retailers should be planning ahead for June and July promotions, as the compressed season will create higher demand within produce departments. 

Marketing Director, Roger Pepperl, joined me to talk about all-things Stemilt, and what retailers should be prepared for during the 2016 Northwest cherry season. From exclusive varieties and new merchandising concepts and displays, Stemilt is looking to share its recent innovations and strategies to help drive sales upward.

“This year it is important to note a much shorter season and changes in timing for ad programs,” Roger tells me. “You will most likely see 90 - 95 percent of the fruit shipped in June and July. While it’s good to have cherries early at retail, it will create challenges toward the end of the season for customers who don’t plan their schedules around this season’s new peaks and expectations.” 

This year’s Northwest crop is slated to be compressed to a period of eight weeks and retailers need to capture every sale possible. 

“We are going to see ads for the 4th of July pulling around June 15th and you will see lots of promotions moving forward,” Roger adds. “The 4th of July ad is a really great opportunity that I would consider a slam dunk at retail so get your orders in now. The month of July is so important for in-store promotions and we ask retailers to work with us to plan early and take advantages of our key, and new, opportunities.” 

From about July 1st through the 20th, Stemilt will be promoting Cherry Festivals with a variety of different cherries on ad at the same time. With the compressed season, Stemilt advises that retailers build big, dynamic, eye-catching displays that communicate that festival atmosphere and draw the consumer and impulse buyer into the produce department. 

The Cherry Festivals will feature dark sweet cherries and Rainiers in both organic and conventional, as well as the new Stemilt-exclusive, Skylar Rae variety in limited volumes. Skylar Rae is a bi-colored cherry with a firm texture and flavor profile that the company says makes it “the sweetest cherry you’ll ever eat™.”

“Displaying multiple varieties has proven to increase sales and impulse purchases,” Roger says. “Consumers like options and like the idea of a destination.” 

The Kyle’s Pick Program is also slated to have a great year and features premium varieties and the largest sized fruit, like Stemilt’s Skeenas that offer high-firmness and high-flavor. Back by popular demand, Kyle’s Pick cherries will come in pouch bags in order to help retailers merchandise while driving repeat sales of cherries this season. This is truly a premium program with the consumer in mind. 

“This year we are looking at 9.5 row sizes and larger for Kyle’s Pick cherries, which offer consumers a unique eating experience paired with amazing dessert flavors,” Roger says. “These cherries are picked for size, maturity, sugars, and firmness.”

Rainier cherries, another consumer favorite, will start around the 15th of June and will only be available for three to four weeks. Typically, Stemilt’s Rainier program will just be getting started around the first two weeks of July, but this year early July will actually be at the tail end of the Rainier cherry program. While they will not make it all the way through the month, they are a must-have while available – just another reason for retailers to stay ahead of the shorter season. 

With varietal timing in flux across the entire season, Stemilt’s Half Mile Closer to the Moon cherries will be coming on early as well, slated for July 28th instead of the typical mid-August arrival. A majority of the fruit will come in early August.

“These high-elevation cherries are grown around 2,500 to 3,200 feet above sea level where the climate remains cooler during the heat of summer and cultivates an amazing crop of cherries,” Roger tells me. “Premium varieties including Skeena, Sweetheart, and Staccato® cherries are grown for this program.” Stemilt is continuing to plant higher in elevation which will continue to extend this program in future years.  

Stemilt will be promoting its new display bins during 2016, with dark sweets on the front of the bin and Rainier cherries on back; allowing retailers to promote, at any given time, the variety of their choosing. Also new on the merchandising front are Stemilt’s aisle displays, which will feature a one-box display unit for Skylar Rae. These cherries will also be marketed in a new dome clamshell that features a high-gloss, metallic label. 

“Stemilt is always working to differentiate in the orchard and at the store level,” Brianna Shales, Communications Manager, tells me. “With our new merchandising options we are visually capturing the consumers and building excitement throughout our retail cherry programs.” 

Brianna also shares that Stemilt is continuing to go down the path of reaching the consumer directly and as she tells me, there are exciting things in-store to engage those cherry lovers. 

“Cherries are a big driver to our website, and over the summer months we will have a host of opportunities to share our versatile cherry program with consumers,” she says. “Included in these offerings is a new eBook which presents a cherry how-to guide on all things Stemilt, from how to pick the perfect cherries, to freezing, storing, and juicing. We look at ourselves as the fruit experts, and definitely the cherry experts, and that is how we will engage with our social media outlets and consumer programs this year.” 

Stemilt’s Farm to Fork program is picking up steam as well, and introduces retailers and consumers to the stories that have built and continue to grow Stemilt’s loyal following and expanding customer base. 

“Whether consumers are eating a Skylar Rae cherry, Kyle’s Pick cherries, or Rainiers, we want to show the work, the stories, and the behind the scenes efforts that go into our program to bring some of the world’s most amazing cherries to market,” Brianna says.

So, what are you waiting for? Stemilt has great things in store and the strategies to take advantage of the Northwest’s upcoming cherry crop.

Stemilt