The microscope, the binoculars, and the telescope. I have always loved this analogy, whether it's in the form of our own range of personal perspectives or the eye we bring to the business. When we view the subject at hand through the lens of the microscope, we magnify and embed ourselves in the tiniest of details; it is a meticulous activity, necessary. So are the binoculars, which offer a broader perspective that takes in the landscape, allowing us to assess more components, but are still a limited scope. And then there is the telescope. As you would imagine, it takes into consideration the long game, the big picture, the future, and the complexities at play.
When I sat down with Julie DeJarnatt, Chelan Fresh, and Lori Taylor, The Produce Moms®, I could not help but feel drawn in by the gravity of their cause and how they wielded all three optical tools with a deep connection to the health of the industry.
That cause: Eat More Apples™.
Beginning as a conversation that budded into a vision, the genesis of the campaign started in October of 2023.
“Americans love apples, but they aren’t eating enough to ensure apple farmers across the United States can continue to stay in business. The industry had just come off a very challenging year, and I knew we couldn’t keep doing the same things and expect different results. The problem wasn’t a regional issue—all apple growers across the country were feeling the impact of increasing cost of inputs against a stagnating FOB price and declining consumption,” Julie, Founder and Board Member of Eat More Apples, tells me, before drawing on her buy-side perspective to broaden the picture for me. “Coming from the retail side of the business, I knew all the major players from the apple growing community across the U.S. and started asking the question—can we all work together to change the trajectory of our market? I made the rounds at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce & Floral Show, and everyone agreed we had a problem.”
But, in reality, only a handful felt confident that, even collectively, the apple industry could do anything about it. As Julie adds, even fewer thought there was a chance they could bring growers together across state lines.
“We started with an initial meeting two weeks later. Sixteen people attended with representation from Washington, New York, and Pennsylvania. While we lost five of them over the course of the next two meetings, we kept sharing the vision and bringing in new ideas,” she says.
That tenet from the start—keeping the table open to multiple views, opinions, solutions, and challenges (multiple lenses, if you will) is what has helped take the idea from conversation to execution. Within just five months, the group was numbering upwards of 67 partners and has been growing steadily ever since.
Today, the Eat More Apples industry-wide initiative has the goal of increasing fresh apple consumption in the U.S. market through consumer education on the health and wellness benefits of fresh apples.
As Julie continues framing up the challenge, she starts painting a picture by laying out the numbers for me. All of which generate a reality of complex supply and demand issues, misinformation, and a desire for more collaborative thinking.
“Annual per capita consumption of fresh apples has fluctuated from a high of 19.2 lbs in 2016/17 to an almost record low of 15.8 lbs in 2022/23,” Julie starts off. “Despite increased innovation in apple varieties, which have resulted in the highest flavor profile, the crispiest and juiciest apples we have ever grown, people are eating less. Regardless of the investment growers have made into orchard plantings, harvest technology, sorting equipment, and new sustainable packaging, people are buying apples less frequently.”
Add in fierce grower input costs, which are still up, with an unstable global trade market, and you end up with a deeply rooted group of growers who are not able to make ends meet with consumption down.
“Prices are inflated on the shelf, but the profits are not making their way back to the farms because people are eating less,” Julie describes.
She continues to rally industry members around the cause. The Eat More Apples board members are at the ready, bringing their own initiative, insights, and wisdom to the table to solidify the footprint this campaign seeks to make.
“Our mission at The Produce Moms is to get more fruits and vegetables onto every table. Apples are a year-round solution for households as a delicious, nutritious, convenient, and affordable choice,” Lori expresses, wielding a passion backed with years of experience across consumer and trade platforms.
The Eat More Apples board members include Brenda Briggs, Rice Fruit; Brett Baker, United Apple; Kaari Stannard, Yes! Apples; Kari Soldaat, Riveridge; and Steve Clement, PNW Tree Fruit, in addition to Julie and Lori.
Eat More Apples has become a topic of conversation among many organizations, as Julie tells me, with support coming from small, medium, and large family farms across the country.
“No one is left unaffected. When farms are struggling, they must cut back on everything they buy. Their input partners, from fertilizers to modified atmosphere storage to box manufacturers, are all feeling the pinch, which created an opportunity for them to join forces with the growers on this common cause,” Julie explains, broadening the scope of this program to bring in periphery companies. Not just the apple growers, marketers, and sales desks. “Retailers want strong, healthy categories with high demand and turns—so many of them are on board to help drive this program forward as well.”
“There is no shortage of efforts in our industry to drive demand for fresh produce or specific produce items. For years, we have been spinning our wheels and dedicating resources to initiatives that drive consumption. We believe the framework of Eat More Apples provides a pragmatic solution, as we are calling on every private sector stakeholder whose business depends on apples to support the cause,” Lori tells me.
Eat More Apples has a playbook still being written, but is well on its way to addressing the immediate and long-term vision of its members.
“We need to increase annual consumption of fresh apples by 1.6 lbs per capita in the United States. To achieve this goal, we will be targeting the 75.3 percent of households who are currently buying to encourage them to consume an additional 2 lbs of fresh apples per year, while also targeting consumers who are purchasing fresh fruit or complementary products but haven’t bought or have lagged on buying fresh apples,” Julie reveals. “Everyone knows the old adage, 'An apple a day keeps the doctor away,' but they are not able to answer the question of why. What makes apples so healthy? This is the space where the Eat More Apples campaign will come to life by educating consumers on the unique benefits of eating fresh apples to achieve their individual health and wellness goals.”
Eat More Apples will leverage all modern marketing avenues with clear and measurable KPIs to ensure the group is delivering on its goal of increasing consumption.
Funding is a huge part of this program's momentum, as Julie and Lori tell me.
“A nationwide multi-year marketing campaign of the scale we are developing requires support from professional organizations with experience in fundraising. We are currently interviewing potential partners and will work closely with them to develop the fundraising structure, targets, and manage the collection of funds,” Julie notes.
Lining out Phase 1 of the pilot program, Julie continues to color the picture.
“We have secured the funding needed to support the launch of our Pilot Program to gain proof of concept and fine-tune the messaging before we target national-scale campaign funding and deployment. We are accepting contributions from industry partners who are dependent upon a strong, fresh apple market for their businesses to thrive,” she discusses. “We are grateful to the first partners who came on board with funding support: Storage Controls, PCA Packaging, Lockton Insurance, and Wilbur-Ellis. The Pilot Program will launch by the end of June.”
So, how can the industry get involved?
Apple Growers: Sign the letter of support and share your company logos.
Industry Partners: Consider donating to the Eat More Apples™ program.
And, of course, eat more apples. 
