CMI expands pouch, bin options

Bob Mast, president of CMI Orchards, Wenatchee, Wash., shows off a pouch bag of organic Ambrosia variety Daisy Girl brand apples in front of a new organic bin display the company has introduced this year.

NEW ORLEANS — With more apples to sell, CMI Orchards is offering more ways to sell them.

Bob Mast, president of CMI Orchards, Wenatchee, Wash., said the company has introduced several pouch bag and bin options this year.

“The feedback we have been getting from retailers is (their wish) to be able to highlight the (Daisy Girl) organics, and how they can do that better in the stores,” he said. “We have built a self-contained display where they can do that.”

Mast said the fresh apple estimate in Washington state has increased from an initial projection of near 131 million cartons to about 138 million cartons. Depending on how harvest finishes up with fujis, Pink Lady, Kiku, Envy and Pacific Rose, Mast said the crop could climb higher yet. Already harvested varieties gala and Honeycrisp beat estimates, he said. 

“I think it will be closer to 145 million cartons than it is to 135 million cartons,” he said. Excellent color and good internal storage quality could mean improved fresh packout through the season.

CMI has introduced several new pouch bags this season, including a one-pound pouch bag for smaller pear crop varieties, including seckel, forelle and comice, he said.

CMI also has a new four-pound pear pouch bag, and updated graphics on its Kiku apple pouch bag with the a tagline “Taste the Sweetness.” 

Mast said CMI also introduced a full line of three-pound pouch bags for traditional varieties, including red delicious, golden delicious, gala, fuji and Pink Lady. The new bags highlight the taste attributes of each variety, Mast said.

CMI also introduced a new bin to help retailers highlight the special managed varieties marketed by the company.

“The thought process is to encourage (retailers) to potentially promote a new variety every month,” he said. All the varieties are listed on the bin and point-of-sale cards, which will highlight the specific variety promoted that month. 

The bin display can be used for pouch bags and bulk apples, and features a place for tote bags for consumers to fill bags on their own.

The bin is shipped full with 16 cases of fruit and everything to build it, and can be assembled in less than three minutes, Mast said.

The company also introduced a five-pound pouch bag of organic juicing apples, Mast said. While juicing apples have been merchandised by others, he said the organic fruit is a point of difference. The bag comes with a smoothie recipe on the back, he said.

CMI also is offering both a two-pound and four-pound pouch bag for Kanzi and Smitten apples this year. CMI offers a two-pack pouch bag for large Honeycrisps, Ambrosias and Pacific Rose, he said.

The company featured the new packaging and displays at the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit Oct. 20-21.