WENATCHEE, WA - As we quickly approach National Apple Month, and all things autumn that come with it, Stemilt Growers is embracing the changing of the leaves with its second holiday-themed 5lb pouch bag. To encourage high volume apple sales in produce departments around the country, the company is launching a Halloween theme to the convenient packaging.

“The Halloween-themed bag is a great way for retailers to get into the spooky holiday spirit all while being able to decorate their produce department shelves easily,” said Communications Manager Brianna Shales. “These bags are fun to look at, capture the eye of the consumer, and push high volumes of apples–a win for all parties involved.”

Stemilt will begin loading the Halloween-themed 5lb pouch bag October 2 and will continue through October 20, according to a press release, giving retailers plenty of time before Halloween to increase sales volumes. Approximately eight bags ship in Stemilt’s Inspiration Orchard™ display ready carton (DRC).

Varieties available to be packed include:

• Gala
• Fuji
• Pink Lady®
• Red Delicious
• Granny Smith

“The Halloween pouch bag is a great in-and-out item for October, which is an important time for apples because of the attention garnered through National Apple Month. It’s the same size as our Apple Lover’s bags, which many are using as an everyday item, and available in key varieties to help bolster those apple sales,” said Shales.

She continued, “October is apple season and these holiday-themed bags are a fun way to drive sales during a time when many have apples on their mind already. More time is spent in the kitchen baking and cooking in the fall, so retailers should capitalize on this and push this Halloween-themed 5lb bag to move volume and see an increase in sales dollars during this season.”

Stemilt said it has seen great success with its Apple Lover’s 5lb bag–ideal for capturing the once-a-week shopper and perfect for families planning holiday meals–since releasing it in 2016.

The company will bring back its first holiday-themed bag, which launched last year during the Christmas season and followed a candy-cane look.

“When we released the 5lb Christmas-themed pouch bag last year, it was quite the hit,” Shales commented. “So we wanted to piggyback off that success and celebrate Halloween with festive packaging and fall’s favorite flavors of apples.”

On this year’s harvest, Stemilt said it is just past the first peak for apples and is seeing great qualities and finish on the varieties it has harvested so far.

“This time of year is great for apples. We have fresh, high-quality apples coming off the trees and the cool weather encourages consumers to bake and plan for their holiday menus,” states Shales. “These bags will only continue to encourage those actions.”

Sizing is down slightly over last year, making for more bagged fruit opportunities to move volume. Keep an eye out for the themed packaging next month.

Stemilt Growers