Stemilt Growers focuses on product visibility and messaging

Produce shippers and marketers are acutely conscious of the needs to reduce packaging and to find more sustainable versions of it.

But packaging also plays a crucial role in educating customers and consumers and getting the message out about their products' flavor, healthfulness, convenience and other positive attributes.

Stemilt Growers' packaging philosophy is to help each package of Stemilt fruit win at the point of sale by providing an enjoyable shopping experience for consumers, said Brianna Shales, the company's marketing director.

Brianna Shales

One of the keys to achieving that end is to create packaging that ensures the fruit inside is as visible as possible, so shoppers know exactly what they're getting.

It's also crucial, Shales said, to be able to deliver messaging via packaging -- though that's easier said than done.

"The space you have to work with on packaging can be limited, but we've developed ways to share short bits of information that quickly educate about the fruit's flavor profile and uniqueness." One example is a chart Stemilt has added to its packs that measures flavor on a scale of sweet at one end, tart on the other. "Consumers don't have a lot of time to make choices in the grocery store, so offering them the most important, relevant information can help influence purchase decisions."

Stemilt

Stemilt's Lil Snappers kids' size fruit is a good example of a package that captures the attention of shoppers on retail shelves, Shales said.

Bags of Lil Snappers apples and pears feature fun fruit characters and vibrant colors that appeal to parents shopping for their children. Another differentiator is the fact that the bag stands up by itself, making it easy to spot and convenient to grab-and-go.

Stemilt's EZ Band sustainable four-pack of apples and pears is another vehicle that adds value to the shopper by offering recyclability, and to the retailer with space to merchandise organic or conventional fruit, she added.

Lil Snappers

Stemilt also delivers message on-fruit -- and in doing so differentiates itself from some of its competitors -- through customized PLU stickers where a certain shape or color indicates the fruit's variety or brand.

In 2026, Shales said to look for new cherry packaging from Stemilt, and continued rollout of its new EZ Band for Stemilt pears, as the company continues to explore better packaging options.

The space you have to work with on packaging can be limited, but we've developed ways to share short bits of information that quickly educate about the fruit's flavor profile and uniqueness.

Reading the wider picture

Every region has its own idea of what counts as in season, and those definitions rarely line up neatly with national distribution.

What to remember

Produce shippers and marketers are acutely conscious of the needs to reduce packaging and to find more sustainable versions of it
Stemilt Growers' packaging philosophy is to help each package of Stemilt fruit win at the point of sale by providing an enjoyable shopping experience for consumers, said Brianna Shales, the company's marketing director
One of the keys to achieving that end is to create packaging that ensures the fruit inside is as visible as possible
Stemilt's Lil Snappers kids' size fruit is a good example of a package that captures the attention of shoppers on retail shelves, Shales said
Stemilt's EZ Band sustainable four-pack of apples and pears is another vehicle that adds value to the shopper by offering recyclability

The questions it raises

What should you know about Stemilt?

Why does it matter?

"Consumers don't have a lot of time to make choices in the grocery store, so offering them the most important, relevant information can help influence purchase decisions.".

What happens next?