Stemilt’s Lil Snappers are heading back to school with kids this fall thanks to an early start on both apple and pear harvest in Washington state. Gala apples and Bartlett and Starkrimson pears are among the first varieties harvested each August, and coming off the tree 10 days earlier than normal following an early spring and warm summer temperatures.

According to Stemilt marketing director Roger Pepperl, Washington’s apple crop and the Northwest pear crop are both down in volume over last year, yet still ripe with promotion opportunities, especially on smaller fruit, which Stemilt packs in its award-winning Lil Snappers line of three-pound pouch bags.

“The warm temperatures we experienced in the Northwest this summer tend to slow down the size development of apples and pears, and as a result, we expect these fruits to be down a size from last year," Pepperl said in a press release. "This adds volume of premium kid-sized apples and pears, making our Lil Snappers line a great promotion vehicle, especially during the fall as the new crop comes off the tree and parents are thinking of what to put in lunches as their kids head back-to-school.”

The grab-and-go Lil Snappers three-pound pouch bag has seen tremendous growth and success since it launched back in 2011. Parents love the convenience of the bag, the quality fruit and kid-focused flavors inside, and its ease in providing kids with healthy fruit for their lunches or snacks. The three-pound size of the Lil Snappers pouch bag also benefits retailers by boosting their categories through a higher retail price and purchase size.

An analysis of Nielsen scan data from the 2014-15 season showed just how Lil Snappers three-pound pouch bags of pears outperformed other pear pouch bags in the marketplace.

Nielsen data from 2012 showed the average purchase size of pears to be 1.7 pounds per trip. During the 2014-15 season, Lil Snappers three-pound pouch bags of pears had an average retail of $1.59 per pound while two-pound other brand pouch bag pears averaged $1.78 per pound. At three pounds, Lil Snappers pears averaged $4.77 per bag at retail, while two-pound pouch bags of pears averaged $3.56 per bag. The larger package size of Lil Snappers results in 25 percent increase in dollars over two-pound pouch bags of pears.

“The data shows that Lil Snappers three-pound pouch bag pears return the highest retail dollar transaction size of all pear pouch bags in the marketplace," Pepperl said. "In 2014-15, Lil Snappers three-pound pouch bag pears also moved seven times more volume than two-pound pear pouch bags. Lil Snappers are a great merchandising vehicle for pears because they boost the purchase size and ensure dollar sales increase in the category as well.”

Stemilt recommends promoting Lil Snappers pears regularly alongside bulk promotions. A healthy pear category will run multiple bulk varieties of pears on ad monthly and use bags as a secondary purchase driver both on and off promotion. On bulk apples, multi-variety ads should run bi-weekly during the fall and winter months, Pepperl noted.

“Bulk displays will be the main merchandising vehicle for apples and pears this season, but with greater volumes of premium, kid-sized fruits available, Lil Snappers are a great line to carry to attract today’s busy parents who want to give their kids healthy snacks and school lunches,” said Pepperl.

Stemilt carries multiple apple varieties in the Lil Snappers line, including Gala, Fuji, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, Pinata, Granny Smith and Pink Lady. The company also has four Lil Snappers pear varieties: Bartlett, d’Anjou, Bosc and red pears.

Each three-pound Lil Snappers pouch bag stands up in the refrigerator for easy storage and access, and features a sturdy handle and press-to-close resealable ziplock. There are an average of nine to 11 apples or pears inside each bag of Lil Snappers, which is the ideal size for fruit-purchasing households with kids.

“Apples and pears are among the best portable fruits, and the three-pound size of Lil Snappers is ideal for today’s families to utilize for on-the-go lunches and snacks. Parents can pack a piece of fruit in two school lunches every day for a week with Lil Snappers,” Pepperl said.