WENATCHEE, WA - In this industry, we’re all aiming to be the apple of shoppers’ eyes, with retail playing a huge role in the effort. CMI Orchards has earned this spot in consumers’ hearts and on their plates as its Ambrosia variety continues to hold its position as one of America’s favorite apples. The variety can be found year-round in more than 10,000 retail locations across America, making its influence incredibly widespread.

“Ambrosia has an extremely solid threshold in both sales and volume, holding the third position of all branded apples and the ninth position of all apples overall, core and branded,” Danelle Huber, Marketing Specialist, said. “Volume has increased by more than 19 percent, and just over 2 percent in sales dollars.”

Huber reported that the most recent season-to-date Nielsen data shows results from August 15 through October 3 compared to the same time period in 2019. According to a press release, the dollar per pound basis shows that retailers are promoting Ambrosia at reduced pricing, leading to a 14 percent decrease on a dollar per pound basis, (a decrease of $0.28 per pound).

“Ambrosia is such a fantastic apple. It has broad appeal, great shelf-life, and offers a consistent eating experience across the board. Consumers know and love this about Ambrosia and continuously seek it out, regardless of its price,” Huber continued. “It has become a mainstay apple, and retailers can hold, and even increase category sales by keeping pricing levels high.”

In the mid 2000’s, CMI’s owner group, the McDougall family, earned the exclusive rights to grow and market Ambrosia apples in the U.S. and introduced it to the market shortly after.

The McDougall family has perfected the growing and packing practices over the years to improve color, harvest timing, and storage to deliver an outstanding quality apple. In 2017, the tree patent expired, opening the variety to other U.S. growers.

“To differentiate CMI’s Ambrosia apples, CMI launched a new label, Ambrosia Gold®, described as the ‘gold standard of Ambrosia apples,’” Rochelle Bohm, Brand Manager, said. “Ambrosia has become a staple in retail stores and fridge drawers across America. It’s hard to believe that this sweet, honey-like apple came from such humble beginnings. This new label celebrates the journey we’ve been on to propel Ambrosia to where it is today, and the decades the McDougall family invested in developing this top-notch apple. Ambrosia Gold delivers the Midas touch for retailers that want to capture sales for their produce departments. It’s easy to give customers a great eating experience, a beautiful piece of fruit, and a connection to a wonderful origin story with Ambrosia Gold.”

Conventional and organic Ambrosia Gold apples are available year-round, accompanied by many compelling packaging and in-store display options, available from CMI Orchards.

Keep an eye out for more reports across the fresh produce industry as ANUK reports.

CMI Orchards