WENATCHEE, WA - At this year's PMA Fresh Summit Convention and Expo, CMI won a PMA Impact Award for Excellence in Packaging with its new Go-Go Fresh cherry snack pouch bags.

“With Go-Go Fresh snacking cherries, CMI created the first single serve cherry package designed specifically for the convenience store channel,” said Steve Lutz, VP of Marketing for CMI. “We were pretty certain if we created a fixed weight single serve package for cherries we could leverage the seasonal power of cherries to drive incremental sales through convenience stores, a largely untapped market for the industry. We’re delighted that the PMA Impact Awards recognized the power and creativity of our new package by naming CMI as one of the 2014 winners.”

CMI explained how, unlike traditional retail locations, convenience stores require smaller fixed weight packaging in order to fit in the small square footage space available and capitalize on the quick trip nature of the format.

“We have been consistently hearing from consumers and customers that they really want convenient, on-the-go snack products for smaller format stores,” said Katharine Grove, Marketing Specialist for CMI. “We developed Go-Go Fresh cherries to directly target the convenience store channel to appeal to consumers looking for healthy food choices.”

She further shared that CMI used extensive consumer and retail feedback to craft the packaging. For example, it highlighted the keywords ”GMO free”, “Low-calories” and “Fat-Free,” which focus panels suggested would spur impulse purchasing.

According to a press release, “Go-Go Fresh” was one of 67 entries submitted by 56 companies for consideration. 20 finalists were selected by an independent board of judges and announced last September, of which only five were named PMA Impact Award winners. 

Judges evaluated all PMA Impact Award entries based on:

• Marketing
• Sustainability
• Consumer Convenience
• Supply Chain Efficiency/Functionality
• Food Safety

Congratulations on winning this award, CMI!

CMI