Goldy Gopher, a ceremonial mace and medallion, and Stemilt Growers’ Rave brand apples joined thousands at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities campus on Friday, Sept. 20 as the college held the presidential inauguration for Joan T.A. Gabel. President Gabel is the first female president and 17th overall in the University’s 168-year history. 
Rave brand MN55 cultivar apples are a Honeycrisp-MonArk cross that researcher David Bedford developed through natural cross-pollination methods at the University’s apple breeding program in 1997. Stemilt was given the rights to grow and market Rave in North America in 2014 and introduced it to the marketplace in 2017. Last week Rave returned to its alma mater to be shared with students, faculty and government officials during a modern, laid-back celebration that followed President Gabel’s formal inauguration event.
“It was an honor for our signature apple, Rave, to be part of this historic celebration in Minnesota,” said Brianna Shales, senior marketing manager at Stemilt. “President Gabel wanted a casual event and healthy foods to be served at her inauguration. We were thrilled to be invited to share the University’s newest hit apple, Rave, with attendees.”
Stemilt donated 4,000 Rave apples to be handed out at the foodservice line during the post-inauguration celebration at Northrop Mall. The company also had a Rave branded table and tent near the fruit display, where Stemilt’s team shared the story of Rave apples and gave out reusable cotton tote bags with ‘I Raved Today’ stickers to visitors.
“If any college community knows its apples, it’s those who attend the University of Minnesota,” said Shales. “Their famed apple breeding program includes both Honeycrisp and SweeTango as success stories. Rave certainly had big names to live up to, but we were blown away by the familiarity and sheer excitement people had for our outrageously juicy new apple.”
Stemilt is winding down on its third Rave apple season. The apple typically ripens and harvests in late July in Washington state. Because of that early harvest timing, Rave offers North American retailers with a unique jumpstart to the apple season, along with a beloved Honeycrisp-like crunch and zippy-sweet flavor. The 2019 season was short and sweet with strong retail execution, noted Shales. Stemilt expects future Rave apple seasons to run longer as more trees come into production.
“It was a big year for Rave apples with our largest crop yet and so much excitement at retail,” said Shales. “We took it on the road for the #RaveRoadTrip in late August and will wrap the season with this historic inauguration event. Most importantly, we were able to give more consumers their first taste of Rave and something to rave about as we all eagerly await next year’s crop.”
