Pazazz steps in as Honeycrisp supply tightens
With Honeycrisp supplies tightening due to seasonality and past reduced crops, Honeybear Brands is positioning its Pazazz apple to keep the premium category on a solid footing.
In a March 13 release, the firm said the move aims to soften price-swing challenges at retail, while offering buyers a way to store spring sets.
A descendant of the popular Honeycrisp, Pazzaz is an exclusive, proprietary variety managed in the US by Honeybear. The Elgin, Minnesota-based company describes it as “bold, juicy flavored,” and at a more accessible price point for shoppers seeking high-quality apples.
“With strong and growing volume across multiple regions, Pazazz helps fill shelf space with a high-eating-quality apple that delivers consistent size, color, and flavor,” Kristi Harris, brand manager at Honeybear, tells FreshFruitPortal.com. “From a pricing standpoint, it allows retailers to stay in the premium tier while offering more flexibility to protect margins and maintain strong promotional activity”.
Storage that stretches the season
Marketed as a “long-season” apple variety, the company attributes Pazazz's extended market window to its storage characteristics, which enable it to be merchandised later in the season compared with other premium varieties.
“Pazazz was specifically developed to excel in storage. It maintains its crisp texture, juiciness, and balanced flavor profile,” Harris adds. “This extended storage performance reduces shrink, supports consistent quality on the shelf, and gives buyers more control over timing and inventory”.
Chuck Sinks, president of sales for the company, said in the original release that these features make Pazazz “a smart move for retailers”, providing a “perfect balance of tangy and sweet–firm and crisp with an explosive crunch”.
“Pazazz’s exceptional storage capabilities provide increasingly improved flavor for shoppers seeking a fresh, delicious-tasting apple this spring,” Sink noted.
Pazzaz stays close to home
Honeybear credits Pazazz’s supply consistency to its interregional growing footprint, with logistics costs reduction another key concern. Harris also notes that geographic diversity helps mitigate weather risks, smoothing out supply gaps.
“Our multi-region growing strategy—spanning Washington, the Midwest, New York, and Canada—allows us to follow the crop and keep supply closer to the end customer,” she says. “Just as importantly, shorter shipping distances translate into reduced freight costs and fresher fruit for retailers and their shoppers”.
Beyond supply replacement, Harris notes that Pazazz contributes to overall category growth by simultaneously securing existing demand and attracting new customers.
“It’s doing both. Pazazz naturally captures some of the demand from Honeycrisp shoppers seeking a similar premium eating experience, especially when Honeycrisp prices rise,” she explains. “At the same time, it’s bringing new energy to the category—its bold flavor and strong branding are attracting shoppers willing to trade up or add apples to their baskets more frequently.”
The grower-marketer is also investing in marketing tied to seasonal health themes, including “Good Mood Food” campaigns aligned with National Stress Awareness Month in April and Mental Health Awareness initiatives in May. The move, Harris says, is effectively increasing apple sales at retail.
“When paired with strong in-store merchandising and digital support, we’ve seen these campaigns lift engagement, increase display activity, and ultimately drive higher apple sales and repeat purchases,” she stresses.
*All photos courtesy of Honeybear Brands.
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