WENATCHEE, WA – Holiday season is upon us and, with it, the time to promote specialty items in the produce department—including Stemilt Growers’ Lil Snappers® Artisan Organics™. And Stemilt is encouraging retailers to kick off this festive period with happy and healthy promotions by taking advantage of the organic pear program during one of the most popular food holidays of the year.

“The holiday season is a great time to promote organic pears as it is a time of celebration,” said Brianna Shales, Communications Manager, in a press release. “People are looking for healthy, specialty items for their holiday parties, and quick, healthy snacks for their kids, and pears are definitely part of that category.”

Since beginning in 2011, Stemilt’s Lil Snappers program has changed the way consumers buy pears. The program—with products originally designed for parents and their kids—has become popular across the board—known for its organic certification and smaller fruit sizes.

“The Lil Snappers® program does exceptionally well with consumers who are looking for smaller portion sizes,” said Shales. “In-store dietitians use this program to engage with diabetic shoppers who do not need large portion sizes, and the convenient grab-and-go style bag is perfect for any of today’s time-strapped shoppers.”

The organic category has grown rapidly in recent years—particularly with younger parents. The 2017 U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes and Behaviors Study has found that millennial parents are now the biggest group of organic buyers in America and believe that buying organic for their kids makes them a better parent.

Another organic pear variety that Stemilt encourages retailers to get on board with is Artisan Organics™ Concorde. A cross between the Conference and Comice varieties, the Concorde is valued for its elongated neck, green coloring, and sweet, vanilla-like flavor profile. According to Stemilt’s press release, it’s an exceptional holiday pear that will work well on charcuterie boards or in baked dessert. The variety is grown in the Wenatchee River Valley, a location well known for its pear growing abilities. Alpine mountains and pristine rivers surround the orchards and provide cool temperatures making it an ideal place for produce high quality, world famous organic pears.

“The Wenatchee River Valley is truly a remarkable place, that grows amazing Artisan Organics™ Concorde pears,” noted Shales. “And using this story to communicate with consumers about where their food is grown will sit well with them, making them come back for more.”

The Concorde variety is promotable in all sizes, including Lil Snappers® pouch bags. Stemilt ships Lil Snappers in display ready cartons (DRCs) and can also provide retailers with lane table displays to promote the fruit in high-traffic areas like checkout.

“Retailers could have fun merchandising the trio of colors of these organic pears,” said Shales. “The coloring of Red Pears mixed with the beautiful coloring of the green Concorde can make some really visually stimulating displays. Plus, Lil Snappers® pouch bags are built with the ability to stand up on their own. With that in mind, retailers can build displays using the variety of colors to create some visual separation to highlight each variety.”

Stemilt also noted in its press release that it encourages retailers to use all the resources at their disposal—including liners, in-store specials and social media—to build demand for organic pears, and offers retailers support to build organic pear demand.

“We want to support retailers with their promotions and we can help by providing both digital and print resources,” added Shales. “Anything from geo-targeting on social media to store-specific advertisements is possible, and Stemilt is happy to help.”

For more on promotional opportunities in the produce aisle, check in with us at AndNowUKnow.

Stemilt Growers