Courtesy Sunkist Growers Stemilt Growers and Sunkist Growers plan to jointly market citrus, apples and pears to children under Stemilt’s Lil Snappers label, adding new products along the way.
A new navel orange Lil Snappers bag will become available through Sunkist in January, according to a news release. Other citrus varieties — cara cara navel, moro blood orange, minneola tangelo and California mandarin — are expected to follow.
Lil Snappers come in zippered, stand-up 3-pound bags with smaller fruits for children. Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt introduced the product last fall.
Both companies plan to exhibit the products at Fresh Summit 2012 — Stemilt at booth No. 2156 and Sherman Oaks, Calif.-based Sunkist at booth No. 2138. Fruits available will include gala apples, navel oranges and d’anjou pears.
Both companies plan to maintain sales of their own products under the Lil Snappers brand, with Stemilt on apples and pears, and Sunkist on citrus. The two grower-shippers also plan to partner on mixed variety Lil Snappers bags, for example galas and navels.
“Sunkist is thrilled to be working with Stemilt to jointly market citrus, apples, and pears to kids,” Julie DeWolf, Sunkist director of retail marketing, said in the release.
In the months ahead, Stemilt and Sunkist plan to launch a joint Lil Snappers website with recipes, activity sheets and nutrition information. The same quick response code will be used on bags from both companies to promote a mobile website as well.
“This partnership brings together two great companies working jointly to promote one great brand for kids,” Roger Pepperl, Stemilt marketing director, said in the release. “It’s important to both Sunkist and Stemilt that we build fruit lovers for the future. Including citrus — another popular item among kids — in the Lil Snappers line will help us do just that.”
“The concept of smaller fruit for kids, packaged under a kid-friendly label, was brilliant in and of itself,” Elizabeth Pivonka, Produce for Better Health Foundation president, said in the release. “(To) extend the brand to other kid-size fruit to double its reach and the impact on moms and kids just takes it to another level.”
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