WENATCHEE, WA - With the month of August comes an exciting offering to the produce department: Rave® apples. As suppliers like Applewood Fresh™, Yes! Apples®, and Stemilt gear up for the upcoming apple season, Stemilt’s Marketing Director Brianna Shales has some advice to help grocers capitalize on the category’s momentum.

“Rave is rearing to do amazing things for the category as the first apple to harvest in the fall,” said Shales. “Its unique timing brings a premium apple to the market weeks before other varieties come off the tree. Rave is only available for a limited time, so there’s no time to waste when it hits the market.”

According to a press release, the variety’s positioning as the go-to back-to-school apple and the brand’s partnership with Back2School America will give back to students and families in need while promoting increased apple sales for retailers early in the season. When a consumer chooses to buy Rave apples this season, they will be helping provide 2,000 school supply kits to students in six major markets.

“Rave apples can help fill the apple sales void that many retailers see when produce departments transition from summer to fall. Because Rave is available right as kids head back to school, our brand is partnering with Back2School America during its short season to support young students going back to school this fall,” Shales notes. “Apples and education have always gone hand in hand, so it’s fitting to bring the first new crop apple into the limelight with this Back2School America partnership.”

Rave is a natural cross between the beloved Honeycrisp and MonArk apple from Arkansas. The brand is harvested starting in late July and goes to market beginning in early August. It’s grown by Stemilt in Washington, Applewood Fresh in Michigan, and Yes! Apples in New York.

Stemilt is projecting a quality Washington-grown crop with good volumes and fruit sizes, allowing retailers to bring Rave to store shelves from August through October. For more information on this coveted variety, click here.

Stick around for more updates from the apple category and beyond!

Stemilt