Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/668668
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower MAY 1, 2016 39 Snyder said few U.S. consumers knew much about the cider making process or how juice quality affects the end product. "Education on specific cider apple varieties and sweetness scale is necessary for market growth," she said. Consumers tend to prioritize taste over brand, Snyder said. That's why cider makers looking to increase sales may want to introduce some new flavors to their offerings. Last year, a number of cider makers did exactly that. "By mid-2015, the cider industry was experi- menting with ginger, pear, cinnamon and a number of other seasonal flavors," Snyder said. The two flavors garner- ing the highest consumer interest were coffee/espresso and pumpkin. Snyder also reported some new flavor trends in evi- dence at the 2015 Great Lakes International Cider and Perry Competition. A number of cider makers there were introducing alternative apple ciders flavored with pear, peach and blackberries. Others brought botanical-fla- vored beverages flavored with mainly elderflower, and aperitif-crafted ciders, which were similar to ice-wine. Hopped and barrel-aged ciders were also making a strong showing, Snyder said. "Producers are experi- menting with specific hop varieties and types of barrels to impart flavors into their ciders. It's a method of dif- ferentiating their product in the marketplace," she said. Target marketing Between October and December 2015, Snyder conducted two surveys to gauge industry efforts and consumer demand for hard cider. One survey involved hard cider producers in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Delaware and Virginia. In the other, she surveyed almost 1,000 hard cider drinkers at cider festivals from New York to North Carolina, asking a number of questions ranging from why they tried cider to how long they had been drinking it and where they tried it the first time. The results pointed to two marketing decisions grow- ers might want to research thoroughly before imple- menting: using social media and building tasting rooms. Less than one-third of hard cider consumers reported using social media as a means of gathering information about the product, but nearly 90 percent of producers said they used social media to deliver hard cider infor- mation to consumers. In addition, just 16 percent of hard cider consumers reported buying cider in tasting rooms, yet more than half of producers said they had one. "Before building a tasting room, do your research to assure you can get a return on the investment," she said. A little less than half of the consumers surveyed said they tried hard cider for the first time because they liked other apple products. More than one-quarter of those surveyed said they enjoyed wine and believed hard cider to be a similar product. Eighteen percent said they liked to buy local products. Taken together, producers can leverage these prefer- ences by marketing locally and emphasizing their farm- ing and orchard practices used to produce the apples they use to make their cider. Larger, commercial pro- ducers like Angry Orchard are using a similar approach, Snyder said. Of those who identified themselves as cider drink- ers, 41 percent most often chose beer when drinking alcoholic beverages, and 80 percent consume cider year-round. Snyder thinks this offers another marketing oppor- tunity for cider makers. "If the majority of hard cider consumers are most often beer consumers, they may be responsive to the same things consumers of craft beers do: quality ingredients, clean, targeted marketing and local, hand-crafted production techniques." • Carla Snyder This Electric Platform System Oers A Labor Saving Design CALIFORNIA 509-840-1828 PASCO 509-544-6678 WALLA WALLA 509-525-4550 UNION GAP 509-248-8411 GEORGE 509-785-2595 MATTAWA 509-932-4001 SUNNYSIDE 509-839-2066 See Your Nearest Blueline Equipment Dealer Today . . . Introducing the New BLUELINE EPS Electric Platform System EPS Features . . . • 10-12 Hour Battery Life with Overnight Charging • Adjustable Height and Width Work Platforms • Highly Maneuverable • Capable of Carrying a Bin of Fruit • Easy to Operate Controller • Hands Free Foot Peddle Controls Forward Movement INTRODUCTORY PRICED $14,950 Hands Free Foot Peddle Hands Free Foot Peddle Controller Controller