Sage Fruit Co. lives by the motto that one-size marketing programs do not fit all. “Most retailers want to differentiate themselves from their competition to keep from having the ‘me, too’ syndrome,” President Chuck Sinks told The Produce News.

Sage Fruit is headquartered in Yakima, WA, and is a grower-packer-shipper of premium tree fruit from the Pacific Northwest. “We visit with each retailer to find out what their sales goals are and to what levels they want to grow the commodity. By doing this, we are able to best match their needs with pack styles and grades that we offer, to help build a program for them,” Mr. Sinks went on to say. “For example, if the customer wants to push three-pound poly bags, we look at those options. Are they mainly into tray pack premiums, do they want to use lower grades and go after price, or are they geared toward tote bag bulk sales? All of this is factored in when offering programs and promotions to fit all types of retailers’ needs to accommodate what they are trying to accomplish on their end.”

According to Mr. Sinks, physical geography influences these individualized marketing programs. “Geographic location within the United States plays a huge role in apple/pear/cherry marketing,” he stated. “We offer Kasey Kahne three-pound bag promotions to customers that have stores located in regions that contain Nascar tracks. Retailers will advertise three-pound bag apples featuring the likeness of Kasey Kahne the weeks before during and after the race in that geographic area.”

Preferences for specific fruit varieties also vary by locale. “Specific varieties of fruit are also favored in certain parts of North America, including Braeburn apples in the north, Fujis on the coasts, etc.,” he observed. “We will offer ads and retail display contests based on these preferences according to customer demands. We also offer a proprietary variety of apples called Sonya that has become very popular in different locations around the country using our Sonya pop-up display bin, sign cards and posters.”

Sage Fruit has developed marketing programs that cut across commodity lines. “We offer tote bags in our ‘Biggest Loser’ and ‘Kids in Force’ programs to many customers, and they will utilize these bags to promote bulk fruit in both apples and pears,” Mr. Sinks noted. “Customers can also get pop up display bins in both formats from Sage, and we also include a fresh pear pop-up bin with ripening and other information for the consumer to use. By displaying the apple and pear pop-up bins together, the retailer can entice the consumer to pick up bags of both fruits at one stop.”

Use of social media has become an integral part of the company’s marketing strategies to increase consumer awareness and retail rings at the register. “Sage Fruit employs a social media director who is in constant contact with wholesalers and retailers around the country that we supply,” Mr. Sinks said. “As we set up ads, display contests and customer programs, she will post information about these events on the retailers’ Facebook, websites and Twitter accounts to help push the message out to the buying public. This will target specific markets, such as fans of the ‘Biggest Loser,’ NASCAR with [driver] Kasey Kahne, kids and healthy eating with our ‘Kids in Force’ program and so forth. We also offer in-store visits with our Sage Fruit mascot, ‘Apple Buddy,’ to help reinforce healthy eating habits with kids and promote product sales and demos.”

Marketing programs are also designed to heighten awareness about food safety. “Food safety plays a major role in everything we do from pre- and post-harvest, to packing and warehousing up to truck loading and transportation,” Mr. Sinks explained. “No shortcuts are taken, and all orchards, packingsheds and warehouses are third-party audited for food safety and maintain all top-quality standards in the apple, pear and cherry industries. Growing, packing, sales and marketing all go hand in hand with food safety to ensure that the end consumer receives the freshest, safest product that is possible.”

Sage Fruit will continue as a major sponsor of television’s “Biggest Loser” show. Special three- and five-pound poly bags, tote bags, zip bags for dark red sweet as well as Rainer cherries, and pop-up bins will be available. “Sage Fruit is also introducing a new high-graphic stand up ‘colander’ type of bag for both dark red sweet cherries and Rainiers. These new cherry bags will be available to customers for the coming Northwest cherry crop.”

Sage Fruit continues to build on the success of its high-end “Sage Sweet” label, which promotes certain varieties of fruit to customers that have the highest pressures and Brix counts in the industry. “These varieties are backed up at retail with high-graphic sign cards and posters to show the consumer the value and taste benefits of these super premium apples.” Mr. Sinks said.