Stemilt advises retailers to focus on high-flavor apple varieties like Cosmic Crisp® and SweeTango® as Honeycrisp volumes decline.

The 2024/2025 Honeycrisp apple crop faces a significant supply challenge, with demand outpacing availability, according to data shared by Stemilt.

Brianna Shales, Stemilt’s Marketing Director, has emphasized the need for retailers to pivot their promotional efforts toward other apple varieties, such as Cosmic Crisp®, SweeTango®, SugarBee®, and Envy®, to alleviate industry pressure on Honeycrisp stocks.

This shift is particularly critical as the November storage report indicates a 32% year-over-year decline in Honeycrisp holdings.

In the past 12 weeks, U.S. grocery advertisements for Honeycrisp apples have increased by 25% compared to the same period in 2023. While this promotional push helped clear the substantial Honeycrisp inventory from the 2023 season, Shales cautions that the same strategy is unsustainable for the smaller 2024 crop.

“The national holdings report affirms that the industry doesn’t have the volume of Honeycrisp to support the current Honeycrisp rate of movement, and we certainly can’t support a 25% year-over-year increase in ads featuring this variety,”

Brianna Shales, Stemilt’s Marketing Director

She advocates for a redirection of attention toward high-flavor apple varieties with strong supplies, including Cosmic Crisp® and Pink Lady®.

The challenges for Honeycrisp stem, in part, from its bumper crop in 2023, which saw a 51% increase in production but led to a 16% year-over-year price decline, according to the USApple Industry Outlook 2024 report.

Nielsen retail data further highlights this trend, showing that the average price per pound of Honeycrisp apples fell from $2.50 in 2023 to $2.19 in September and October 2024.

While consumer demand for Honeycrisp remains strong, Shales stresses the importance of balancing supply, pricing, and promotional strategies. “Shifting away from Honeycrisp promotions and bringing retails up are needed adjustments for this crop,” she explained, adding that the market is ripe with opportunities to promote other flavorful varieties like SweeTango® and Cosmic Crisp®.

Retailers saw record-high Honeycrisp sales in 2023, but these achievements are unlikely to be replicated in the current season. Stemilt recommends returning to multi-variety apple promotions, focusing on varieties with ample supply, to maintain category growth.

According to Shales, Cosmic Crisp® is particularly well-positioned for growth, with sales up 57% year-over-year. “Cosmic Crisp® is up a remarkable 57% year-over-year, and Stemilt has coined 2025 as the ‘year of the Cosmic Crisp®.’ We are ready to help retailers promote this rising apple in fun and creative ways to officially make it part of their top performers in the category,” Shales said.

Stemilt, a family-owned company renowned for its World Famous Fruits, continues to play a key role in the apple market. As a leader in sweet cherries, organic tree fruits, and a significant supplier of apples and pears, Stemilt operates under its Responsible Choice® program, which has promoted environmental sustainability and social responsibility since 1989.