WENATCHEE, WA - Does one of Europe’s favorite apples have a chance to make it big in the United States? CMI Orchards certainly thinks so. As Kanzi® apple sales continue to climb, and with both conventional and organic options now available, retailers can offer multiple price points to appeal to customers in search of a sweet, tangy, and intensely-flavored apple.

“In an increasingly crowded apple category, Kanzi has cemented its place among the top ten branded apples in the U.S., taking the seventh position in sales dollar performance,” said George Harter, Vice President of Marketing, in a recent press release. “We are seeing tremendous growth for this unique branded apple and expect to continue to see strong performance as production increases.”

Harter explained that Kanzi growth was evident across the board, particularly for organic Kanzi. Scan data showed an 864% growth in dollars for the apple as compared to the previous year.

“Over the past year, we’ve experienced accelerated growth in dollars for organic Kanzi unmatched by any other branded organic apple,” Harter stated. “This rapid growth reflects the tremendous investment made by one of CMI’s owner orchards, Columbia Fruit Packers, to transition conventional orchards to organic, in an effort to meet growing consumer demand.”

According to Harter, more and more consumers are reaching for organic apples, and CMI’s growers are well-prepared for a rapid acceleration in the popularity of organics.

“Branded organic apples offer retailers a fourth price point for capturing incremental sales: conventional core, organic core, conventional branded, and at the top of the scale—organic branded apples,” he said. “Organic Kanzi is the winning ticket to bumping up apple category sales.”

The press release noted that organic Kanzi apples are co-branded in CMI’s popular Daisy Girl™ Organics program. In addition, Kanzi's popularity extends to foodservice professionals.

“Kanzi have such a strong, sweet/tart balance and flavor and incredible texture that they are really finding their place in the hands of home and professional chefs,” concluded Robb Myers, Director of Sales. “We think there are some great opportunities for retailers to leverage the flavor intensity of Kanzi and capture this audience through sales promotions, demos, and more—and we’d love to work with retailers to help get Kanzi into their customers’ shopping baskets.”

Sounds like a winning apple to me! Stick with us at AndNowUKnow for the latest in fresh produce.

CMI Orchards