YAKIMA, WASHINGTON [December 20, 2021] — The Cosmic Crisp® apple is back in stores and bringing holiday sparkle in a big way. The beloved brand has been inspiring shoppers since its early ship date of November 8th with unique recipes, decor ideas, partnerships with lifestyle experts, giveaways and more. This year’s harvest is the largest to date for Cosmic Crisp®, and the brand’s site now includes a product locator tool, making it easier for shoppers to find their new favorite apple. Early data is showing thousands of successful searches for the apples across the US. And as reported recently by Stemilt, a leading Cosmic Crisp® supplier—the brand is poised to make an impact in the top 10 varieties this year.

The Cosmic Crisp® apple was just featured at a weeklong event at a major retailer’s flagship store, bringing the theme created for editorial in Martha Stewart Living to life. Displays featured wooden crates filled with Cosmic Crisp® apples, apple stamped gift wrap under trees, and top selling 2 Towns Ciderhouse Cosmic Crisp® Imperial Hard Cider wrapped in bows. As a decor centerpiece near the main store entry, a mantle was accented with a Cosmic Crisp® Sugared Apple Wreath designed by lifestyle expert Kenneth Wingard. In the bakery, a tree was adorned with Sparkling Cosmic Crisp® Apple Ornament Donuts that were created using a recipe developed for the brand by famed baker Gesine Bullock-Prado. Additional activations across the store encouraged shoppers to buy products made with Cosmic Crisp® apples, and lifestyle content from its campaign.

The brand also celebrated the holidays with a giveaway on social media, drawing close to 13,500 entries and driving another 13,000 consumers to a dedicated Apple of Big Dreams holiday guide landing page. QR codes used in this month’s issues of Better Homes & Gardens and Martha Stewart Living Magazines have racked up 2,500 consumer scans. Perhaps the most exciting metric of all is the amount of user generated content tagging #cosmiccrisp reaching its highest levels of engagement to date.

“It’s been a strong and exciting start to the season for the Cosmic Crisp® apple,” said Kathryn Grandy, Chief Marketing Officer of Proprietary Variety Management, the company who markets the brand. “There is measurable retailer and consumer excitement for the brand content created for the holidays, and we have exciting promotions planned for 2022,” she added. 

In fact in a recent Packer article, a Senior Sourcing Manager at Walmart expressed excitement over the partnership the leading chain has with the industry to support the brand. 5 million boxes of Cosmic Crisp® apples will ship from licensed Washington State farmers this season, with predictions that the volume will make this the first full year of availability. The apple reached an impressive 11th overall ranking in the category last year and was the highest selling brand overall.
 

Kathryn Grandy added, “The category data paired with the analytics we see from consumer marketing efforts are really encouraging. Building strong brand awareness and value takes time, and we’re committed to doing that on behalf of the growers who have invested in Cosmic Crisp®.”

About Cosmic Crisp®

The Cosmic Crisp® brand apple is the remarkable result of 20 years of study and research by Washington State University’s world-class tree fruit breeding program. Classically bred and grown in Washington State, the Cosmic Crisp® is a cross of the Enterprise and Honeycrisp varieties. The apple has a perfectly balanced flavor, striking color, and crisp texture, making it ideal for snacking, cooking, baking, and entertaining. Find recipes, inspiration and more at www.cosmiccrisp.com.

Media Contact:
Kathryn Grandy, Chief Marketing Officer
Proprietary Variety Management
kathryn@provarmanagement.com
Mobile: 509-263-1227