Sage Fruit sees retail interest in 5-pound bags of Cosmic Crisp apples

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Despite a smaller than typical U.S. apple crop, there are still promotion opportunities for the rising star Cosmic Crisp apple, says Chuck Sinks, president of sales and marketing at Sage Fruit Co., Yakima, Wash.

Sage Fruit participated in the March 20-22 Associated Wholesale Grocers Innovation Showcase and displayed 5-pound bags of Cosmic Crisp apples on the expo floor.

“We’ve had a lot of people showing interest in that,” Sinks said, noting that the larger pack gives consumers good value.

“It is a good apple, and with Honeycrisp being down so much, it is a good opportunity to [promote],” he said. “We’ve had several retailers stop by and ask about that.” In addition, Honey Bee proprietary apples drew big attention at the show, he said.

With the overall crop being short in the 2022-23 season, Sinks said Sage Fruit is working hard not to “gap” between old crop and new crop apples. “I think at the very worst, we might have a week gap.”

Looking ahead, Sinks said that the Washington industry is hoping for a return to a more normal crop size for the 2023 season.

“We're happy that we can maybe see the light at the end of the tunnel, and that it should be a better year for apples in 2023," he said.