Search - The Packer

With COVID-19 having forced consumers to stay indoors and sharpen their skills as online shoppers, apple marketers say they have adjusted, too.

Brewster, Wash.-based Honeybear Brands is building a new packing facility, said Don Roper, vice president of sales and marketing for Honeybear Brands, as well as Elgin, Minn.-based Wescott Orchard & Agri Products Inc.

Wenatchee, Wash.-based grower-shipper CMI Orchards LLC continues to test new brands and apple varieties to go with its existing products, said George Harter, vice president of marketing.

The Fishers-based New York Apple Association rolled out numerous marketing and promotional initiatives in 2020, said Cynthia Haskins, president and CEO.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gardners, Pa.-based grower-shipper Rice Fruit Co. has sharpened its focus on sustainable packaging, said Brenda Briggs, vice president of sales and marketing.

The Oppenheimer Group is reporting growth in its Envy and Jazz apple programs, while Pacific Rose remains strong with exports and in certain domestic markets, said Roger Aguirre, director of apples and pears.

Exports play a role in the marketing plans of many citrus grower-shippers, but that role can vary from company to company and season to season.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged produce grower-shippers throughout the U.S., but a silver lining for the citrus industry is consumers’ perception of citrus as immunity boosters.

The Blend, a mushroom promotion success, now goes to Food Network.

The exit of President Donald Trump from the White House and the beginning of a new administration isn’t expected to have any immediate ramifications for produce safety policies at the Food and Drug Administration.