KIKU ready for launch of 2015 season
KIKU ready for launch of 2015 season
Retailer partners that carry KIKU apples have seen how the apple drives dollars into their apple category. With a higher average retail price ($2.32 for KIKU vs. $1.64 for the apple category), buyers are willing to spend more to purchase the premium KIKU apple. So far this season, KIKU sales are strong despite an average retail price approximately 40 percent higher than the category average for all apples.
CMI will begin shipping new-crop KIKU apples the second week of January.
Data from the Neilson Perishables group shows that KIKU sales explode after the first of the year. Last season, in Q1 of 2014 KIKU sales increased by over 300 percent between Jan. 1 and Feb. 1. KIKU sales maintained momentum into February and remain at peak levels through mid-March. Last year KIKU sales did not fall back to the levels of early January until the first week of April.
Consumers has seen great benefits as well. Melinda Geda, a longtime fan of KIKU apples, recently shared her weight-loss success via Facebook. “I lost 42 lbs eating one KIKU apple every evening," she said. "I absolutely love these super sweet apples. I know drinking a lot of water helped me on my weight-loss journey, but KIKU apples were the answer.” Geda believes that KIKU apples help control sugar cravings with their super-sweet flavor, and as an added bonus they deliver beneficial nutrients that bodies crave.
“Overall we are very pleased with the flavor profile of this year’s KIKU," Steve Lutz, vice president of marketing, said in a press release. "Consumers will be happy with the vibrant red striping that they have come to expect with KIKU and their incredibly sweet flesh.”
The seasonal availability of KIKU continues to increase each year. North American availability along with KIKU apples available out of the Southern Hemisphere in the spring and summer months may eventually lead to a year-round program with tonnage increases as new orchards begin to produce more fruit each season. CMI expects to ship U.S.-grown KIKU apples through March this season.