Wenatchee, Wash.-based Stemilt Growers took a bite of the Big Apple from Aug. 16-18 and the Big Apple bit back.
Stemilt opened up a “pop up shop” at 393 Broadway shop August 16-18, according to a new release, to celebrate the Rave variety. The event was done in much the same way tech companies showcase their new gadgets.
Stemilt sampled and shared more than 2,500 Rave apples, according to the release, and earned more than 25,000 impressions from passersby during the three-day event.
“The Rave apple pop-up shop was a surprise and a delight for people across the Big Apple last weekend,” Brianna Shales, Stemilt communications manager, said in the release. “Pop-up shops are common in New York, but no one had been to a ‘real’ apple shop before. It was a great way to give people a first taste of our new release, Rave, and share its unique flavor, story, and seasonality.”
Stemilt created the pop-up shop to mirror an actual Apple store, according to the release, teasing consumers with signage and graphics similar to the technology company.
“We had many people walk in thinking they would find smartphones and tablets,” Shales said in the release. “Once the initial shock wore off, people were excited to give Rave a try, and after the first bite, they recognized and enjoyed its crunch, incredible juice and zing.”
Stemilt kicked off its Rave harvest the first week of August and expects to wrap up the season in early September, according to the release. Rave, the brand name for MN55 cultivar apples, was developed by University of Minnesota researcher David Bedford as a Honeycrisp-MonArk cross.
