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Why This Apple Packaging Is Hurting The Brand

Shoppers buy produce with their eyes first, and packaging can make or break the decision. In this episode of Shopping With Christy, Christy takes us inside Safeway to show why a bag of miniature apples from Rocket might be losing customers, even though the product itself is exactly what families want.

977 views
14 Likes
Aug 20, 2025
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Description Description

Produce is one of the few places in the store where the product itself is the hero. Shoppers don’t just read claims; they visually inspect for freshness, color, and quality. When packaging blocks that view, it creates friction.

This miniature apple bag highlights a common tension in the produce packaging design. The brand wants to communicate value, sponsorships, and benefits. But in fresh categories, visibility often matters more than messaging. A full-wrap label may build brand presence, but it also hides the very proof shoppers are looking for.

Unlike many CPG packaging categories, where graphics drive decisions, produce operates under different rules. If customers can’t immediately see the apples, they hesitate. And hesitation kills conversion.

Current packaging design trends favor bold branding and storytelling, but context matters. In fresh food, less obstruction often equals more trust. When packaging becomes a barrier instead of a window, even the right product can be passed over.

transcript Video Transcript
transcript-icon
  • 00:00:00 If I was a consumer, I saw it, I noticed
  • 00:00:02 it, I would have walked right away. I
  • 00:00:04 would not have consider it. I would not
  • 00:00:06 have buyed it.
  • 00:00:09 Hey guys, it's Christy. I'm at Safeway
  • 00:00:11 and I see something of produce and I
  • 00:00:13 want to share it with you. Produce is
  • 00:00:15 such an interesting category to think
  • 00:00:17 about packaging in because a lot of
  • 00:00:20 products and produce are actually not
  • 00:00:22 packaged. Obviously, you have your
  • 00:00:23 prepared foods and some brands that have
  • 00:00:25 done very well in branding, but
  • 00:00:27 sometimes you're getting innovation in
  • 00:00:29 the world of produce and it is branded
  • 00:00:31 and it's worth more and so they need to
  • 00:00:32 do packaging with it. Okay? And I saw
  • 00:00:35 this and I want to talk to you briefly
  • 00:00:36 about it today. Right? Here's a bag of
  • 00:00:38 just apples, right? And then here's also
  • 00:00:41 apples. But what they're trying to tell
  • 00:00:42 you, I guess the brand name of this
  • 00:00:44 product is Rocket and it's a crisp sweet
  • 00:00:46 miniature apple. Proud sponsor of
  • 00:00:48 Special Olympics. Okay, that's nice. And
  • 00:00:50 look it, this label wraps all the way
  • 00:00:52 around. So, I will tell you right now,
  • 00:00:54 if I was a consumer, I saw it, I noticed
  • 00:00:56 it, I would have walked right away. I
  • 00:00:58 would not have consider it, I would not
  • 00:01:00 have buyed it. Even though in my house,
  • 00:01:02 a crisp, sweet, miniature apple is
  • 00:01:04 exactly what I want and exactly what I
  • 00:01:06 need for my kids and my kids lunches. I
  • 00:01:08 would be a buyer of this. Why am I not a
  • 00:01:11 buyer of it? For one simple reason. I
  • 00:01:13 can't see the apples. I can't see them.
  • 00:01:15 This label is too big. It covers the
  • 00:01:18 entire thing. Look at that. This sounds
  • 00:01:20 silly, but these little barrier moments
  • 00:01:22 are exactly why you lose consumers. For
  • 00:01:24 me to actually see the apples, I would
  • 00:01:26 have to pick it up. And by the way, this
  • 00:01:28 is three pounds. I can't even pick it up
  • 00:01:29 with like one hand. There, I could turn
  • 00:01:32 it. Then I can see the apples. And I
  • 00:01:33 want to make sure that they're not like
  • 00:01:35 rotting, right? Like people shop produce
  • 00:01:37 and fresh food by looking at the product
  • 00:01:40 to make sure the quality is there. And
  • 00:01:41 the problem with this packaging is that
  • 00:01:43 it covers it, right? You look at that, I
  • 00:01:45 see the apples. You look here, you do
  • 00:01:47 not see the apples. If I were this
  • 00:01:49 brand, I would have made a label maybe
  • 00:01:51 covering half of the top with Rocket
  • 00:01:53 Crisp Sweet Miniature Apple. Three lb
  • 00:01:56 recyclable. But the Special Olympics,
  • 00:01:58 this QR code, right? This apple could
  • 00:02:00 have been smaller. If it's a sweet
  • 00:02:02 miniature apple, why isn't it small?
  • 00:02:04 Like, give me a mini apple. Maybe this
  • 00:02:05 should be a little apple. Like a mini
  • 00:02:07 apple. That would make more sense. This
  • 00:02:08 looks like a big apple, honestly. But
  • 00:02:10 anyway, point is I would have made the
  • 00:02:12 label half of the top or something like
  • 00:02:15 that and not had this wrap. So, I can
  • 00:02:17 actually see what you mean by a
  • 00:02:20 miniature apple and I can see the
  • 00:02:22 quality of the product, right? I can't
  • 00:02:24 see it. Who knows? Maybe your sales are
  • 00:02:26 doing well right now. I think they could
  • 00:02:27 do even better if you really paid
  • 00:02:30 attention to the category shopping
  • 00:02:31 norbs, which is for produce and fresh
  • 00:02:34 products. You got to see more of the
  • 00:02:36 actual product. Even if you do have a
  • 00:02:38 lot of marketing messages, and boy, do I
  • 00:02:39 love marketing. Really, make sure you're
  • 00:02:41 not creating a barrier for your
  • 00:02:43 consumer. Otherwise, it doesn't matter
  • 00:02:45 how good your brand is or how good your
  • 00:02:47 benefit is. They're never even going to
  • 00:02:49 consider you. Okay? Talk to you guys
  • 00:02:51 later. Bye.
Christy Lebor, Partner and Head of Brand Development at SmashBrand, brings two decades of Fortune 500 CPG experience (Kraft, PepsiCo, Unilever). Leverage her expertise in launching Axe Body Wash and the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty to help your FMCG brand scale from disruptor to market leader.
Christy Lebor Partner & Head of Brand Development, SmashBrand
45 Articles

Christy Lebor is a Partner and Head of Brand Development at SmashBrand, a premier brand development agency championing the FMCG space. With two decades of Fortune 500 CPG experience, Christy harnesses her background from industry titans to infuse brands with a growth trajectory that transitions them from category disruptors to legacy brands.

Her portfolio includes:

  • Brand management roles at global giants: Kraft, PepsiCo, and Unilever.
  • Launching pivotal products: Axe Body Wash in the US and the original Dove Campaign for Real Beauty at Unilever.
  • Steering innovative product lines at PepsiCo: Gatorade chews, protein bars, Mio Fit, and Amino Energy.
  • Pioneering breakfast innovations at KraftHeinz: Just Crack an Egg
  • Leading the branded business segment and global innovation at JBS, the world's largest meat company in the world.

Prior to her tenure at SmashBrand, Christy's track record spans various senior management and development roles. Each role has honed her expertise in the intricacies of FMCG, enabling her to cultivate category advantages for brands. From SKU rationalization to directing pivotal innovation stage gates, Christy's acute expertise in FMCG has consistently placed her at the forefront of the industry. Her ability to make incisive, strategically sound decisions has been key in propelling brands to market leadership.

Her philosophy pivots on the principle that timely, relevant data, integrated with brand strategy, is the linchpin for brands aspiring to scale and establish market dominance. At SmashBrand, Christy intricately weaves this philosophy, ensuring brands are not just strategically poised but holistically developed.

Educationally, Christy is equipped with a BBA from The University of Michigan Business School, an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, and additional prowess in Private Equity and Venture Capital from Harvard Business School.

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