CMI Orchards has announced that Ambrosia apples are dominating sales in the Southern Region, with strong sales reported throughout the rest of the United States.
Ambrosia apples held the second-highest position in the Midwest region, third in the Northwest and fifth in the Western region.
According to Nielsen Answers on Demand, over the past 52 weeks of data through January 2, 2021, Ambrosia held the top sales position in the Southern region, accounting for 24.7% of all branded apple sales. This represents a growth of 4.3% for the apple. The Southern region includes Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida, N. Dakota, S. Dakota, Virginia, and Kentucky.
Ambrosia held the second-highest position in the Midwest region, third in the Northwest and fifth in the Western region. CMI Orchards grows six of the best-selling branded apples in each region and is the largest grower of Ambrosia apples in the US, branding the apple as “Ambrosia Gold®: The Gold Standard of Ambrosia Apples®”.
“These sales numbers provide a feel for which varieties are preferred in different regions. Sales and apple usage are often tied to a region’s culture, food preferences, health characteristics, and cooking styles,” explained CMI Orchards Marketing Specialist Danelle Huber.
CMI Orchards established Ambrosia Gold as a differentiator in the marketplace.
CMI Orchards held exclusive growing rights for Ambrosia apples for over a decade, and once the varietal opened up in 2017, CMI established Ambrosia Gold® as a differentiation. One of CMI’s owners, the McDougall Family, has spent years working on the growing, storage and packing of the apple.
“Growing Ambrosia apples is a very defined art and very strict guidelines must be followed for harvesting Ambrosia at the optimal time to ensure the apples have the flavor and texture consumers know. Since CMI has so few growers growing Ambrosia Gold®, we can closely monitor quality and enforce strict guidelines and protocols. Now that Ambrosia planting has opened up, we’re starting to see other Ambrosia apples enter the marketplace with variability in quality and taste. Consumers are beginning to ask for Ambrosia Gold® specifically by name,” explained CMI Orchards President Bob Mast.
Matt Jeffrey (left), Scott and Bryon McDougall of the McDougall family, CMI's owner group.
Ambrosia cracked the top 10 apple varieties in 2015, then exclusive to CMI Orchards. Being one of the first proprietary varieties to market, consumers were excited to try something new and strong sales numbers quickly showed the apple’s popularity.
“In the CMI Orchards’ apple product line, Ambrosia Gold® is consistently a top variety asked for by consumers,” says George Harter, vice-president of marketing for CMI. He adds because CMI’s owner group, the McDougall family, had the exclusive rights to grow and market Ambrosia apples in the US and introduced it to the market, customers recognize the connection between the name and the quality of apple.
For more information:
Rochelle Bohm
CMI Orchards
Tel: +1 (509) 663-1955
[email protected]
www.cmiorchards.com