From late-season cherry varieties to unique offerings of plumcots and apriums, summer stonefruit is truly a feast for the senses. To make the most of this limited window of opportunity, we connected with industry stalwarts to learn about merchandising tricks, seasonal insights, and more…
Miguel Beltran, Sales Manager, California Stonefruit and Exotics, Giumarra Reedley“This summer delivered an early yet sweet California stonefruit season, with a delicious mix of peaches, plums, and nectarines that delighted shoppers. Our DulceVida® premium nectarines led the lineup with their signature aromatic sweetness, and we look forward to expanding the program with increased volume next year. As we transition into fall, California’s flavor story only gets stronger with the arrival of tree fruit favorites, including our core Do You Fuyu™ persimmon program. With vibrant color and unique sweetness, persimmons create new opportunities to drive sales. We look forward to supporting our retail partners with customized programs designed to capture consumer attention and build excitement for the fall fruit season ahead.”
Angela Hernandez, Vice President of Marketing, Trinity Fruit Company“Stonefruit performs best when it is displayed front and center with abundance and color. Large, full displays create excitement and encourage impulse purchases. We recommend color blocking peaches, nectarines, plums, and pluots to help shoppers easily navigate the category. Secondary displays near high-traffic areas, strong POS signage, recipe inspiration, and health-focused messaging also help drive sales. Sampling during peak flavor windows is another great way to create trial and encourage purchases.”
Brianna Shales, Marketing Director, Stemilt“Stemilt’s A Half Mile Closer to the Moon® cherries arrive each August, helping retailers extend the cherry season with outstanding flavor and freshness. Grown at higher elevations, these cherries are harvested daily to deliver strong volumes throughout August, even as supplies taper off in other regions. This late-season availability helps retailers capture premium rings when demand remains high. Distinctive moon-themed packaging creates eye-catching displays, while exceptional fruit quality keeps ‘Moon cherries’ top of mind—encouraging repeat purchases and return shopping trips.”
Ryan Howard, North American Sales Director, Family Tree Farms“For Family Tree Farms, the summer stonefruit season is always especially rewarding. August showcases the very best of the season, with an exceptional range of varieties that deliver on both flavor and quality. Our retail partners and their customers can expect California’s sweetest, most refreshing stonefruit at its peak. This includes our industry-leading white-flesh program, featuring standout varieties such as Pink Moon white peaches and Pearlicious white nectarines. In addition, unique offerings of Plumcots and Apriums, such as Flavor Gator, Plum Cherry, and Rose, continue to drive excitement across the category. As sugar levels rise and colors deepen in the summer heat, we remain focused on delivering what we proudly call The World’s Most Flavorful Fruit ™.”
Kevin Steiner, Director of Business Development, Mountain View Fruit Sales“Mountain View Fruit Sales is proud to be a family-owned company for over 30 years and represent multigenerational family growers located in the Fruit Basket of the World. Stonefruit is one of the few seasonal items left in the produce department, so utilize the seasonality to take advantage of impulse purchases and make displays special in the produce department to increase excitement.
We focus on growing high-flavor varieties that fit into our harvest plan and have expanded our early- and late-season Autumnripe program. With the early start to the season, we have had more promotional windows in the spring and early part of the summer. Continue to push stonefruit as varieties continue to be harvested earlier than normal. Mountain View offers a full complement of point-of-sale materials, merchandising bins, digital images, and recipes to help drive impulse purchases. Our goal is to understand our partners’ strategies and goals and tailor our sales and marketing tools to help them achieve success.”
Jason Morris, Category and Sales Specialist, Oppy“For over 50 years, Oppy has helped shape the stonefruit category. Today, we offer a mix of trusted favorites and unique varieties. Currently, we’re featuring Oregon prune plums—an eagerly awaited summer item with a loyal following in the Eastern U.S. and Canada. We’re looking ahead to the import season with the largest and longest-running Southern Hemisphere plum program, supported by strong grower partnerships in Chile and South Africa, late January through May. Our Blushing Farms brand continues to grow, with newer South African varieties adding fresh excitement. Strategic winter promotions will help customers drive strong results across the category.” 
