Oppy's Dave Nelley Discusses Organic and Conventional Apple Program
VANCOUVER, BC - If there’s anyone capable of getting you jazzed about the apple category, it’s Oppy. With its three premium apple varieties, JAZZ, Envy, and Pacific Rose, everyone has a reason to fall in love. And starting next week, shipments of JAZZ will be on the road, with Envy and Pacific Rose shipping out October 22.
I had the chance to talk to Dave Nelley, Vice President of Categories and Global Exports, Oppy, to learn more about what sets this program apart.
“At the end of this summer, we’ve seen Envy distributed to accounts which have previously not moved this volume in the past, nor had access to it,” Dave begins. “That gives our U.S. Envy crop real momentum, because its penetration is higher than we’ve seen in recent crops. Frankly speaking, we invested in the future by giving more consumers access to Envy at lower retail prices and 2019 is the first year we’ve had sufficient volume to go year-round on Envy. Retailers are really excited about that.”
As well they should! Oppy’s organic programs are delivering exciting growth, with JAZZ up by more than 50 percent, and Envy and Pacific forecasts are more than double of last year’s crop. Once Dave and I begin talking about Envy, it’s hard to get either of us to stop raving about this apple.
“We’ve done quite a lot of research into what the consumers like about the taste and texture of Envy, and the big words that resonate are sweetness, crispness, and texture. If retailers are looking for a chance to differentiate in the sweet apple space, Envy is the apple to do that,” Dave tells me.
With the ongoing excitement around organics at retail, Oppy offers additional volumes of these flavorful, organic apples in bulk as well as high-color 2 lb pouch bags.
But it’s the program’s advertising and marketing spend that really sets it apart from the pack.
“We need to create excitement with consumers, because consumers will pull fruit from the shelves,” Dave explains to me. “One thing that we absolutely know about this apple is that once people try it, they love it, and they'll go looking for it in stores."
In other words, you have to bite to believe it! For more fresh produce updates, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
